A Veritable Maelstrom
by The Mustachioed Academic
Summary: In a world where Sora doesn't end up at Castle Oblivion, Organization XIII works to obtain Kingdom Hearts unencumbered. But will this Organization remain organized when they start to have doubts about their goal? Featuring the worlds of Neverland, the Deep Jungle, Toontopia, and Lothal.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that'd be pretty awesome!).

* * *

Vexen looked around at the mess before him, a room wrecked by a chemical explosion. As he surveyed the damage, he sighed heavily. "That's the third time this month. This is getting ridiculous," he said as he combed his hands through his long blond hair, frustrated.

Vexen was referring to Roxas, the thirteenth member in the Organization. Known as The Key of Destiny, Roxas was Sora's Nobody and was able to wield the Keyblade as well. Unfortunately, he did not retain any of Sora's intellect. Roxas was not stupid, but he certainly lacked the intelligence that would make him the true Chosen One.

Roxas was one of the youngest members of the Organization. He shared that distinction with Xion and Naminé, numbers fourteen and fifteen respectively. Both of the ladies were quicker and better learners than him, though. Having three such youthful members in the Organization, The Superior, Xemnas, deemed it important that they were educated properly. As such, Vexen had been tasked with teaching math and science, while Zexion taught the humanities. Vexen had created Xion, so her math and science skills were inordinately proficient. Naminé was a fast learner, so she did fairly well. But poor Roxas could not seem to get the concept of chemistry very well. He frequently made mistakes, and it appeared that he had again today.

At that moment, Vexen heard someone enter the room and turned to see who it was. A very sheepish Roxas entered the room, attempting to avert his eyes from Vexen.

"Sorry, Vexen. I messed up again."

"That would be one way to put it, yes," Vexen retorted.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get this."

Vexen mostly agreed with this sentiment. However, he was not going to give up on Roxas. "Well, at least you tried. If you keep trying, perhaps you'll succeed one day. Even I have made mistakes in the lab."

Roxas' face lit up. "Really? You were as bad as me once?"

"Absolutely not! I didn't say that!" he exclaimed. "I just said that you shouldn't let one mistake rule your life."

"Oh. I see," Roxas responded, although Vexen sincerely doubted he truly did.

"Don't worry. We'll take care of this mess. You best be off."

"Okay." Roxas then rushed away, eager to escape.

Vexen then heard a collision of bodies and a yelp, followed by Roxas saying "Sorry Dusk!" and then sprinting off.

"Good timing, Dusk," Vexen said as he turned to face Dusk. The Dusk looked just like any other one, with a flattened cylindrical head and the trademark thin arms and legs. There were, of course, many Dusks that existed; they made up the backbone of the Nobody army. But several members of the Organization had specific Nobodies that served as their personal henchmen. For example, there were many Dragoons, but a specific one served as Xaldin's henchman. Confusingly, he was simply called Dragoon, and he worked directly with Xaldin. The same thing occurred with several other members in the Organization. Vexen, however, did not have a specific Nobody, so he had adopted Dusk as his henchman.

Dusk served as a lab assistant to Vexen most of the time. While he was not a genius like his master (mind you, he's still a Dusk), he was by far the most intelligent of the Dusks and was capable of meeting Vexen's requests.

"I see Roxas has screwed up again," he said in his nasally and ditzy voice, which was a trait that all of the lesser Nobodies shared.

"Correct, Dusk. Can you get this room cleaned up? I'd hate to have to lose another room."

"I'll call in the cleanup squad."

"Did 14 and 15 succeed?" Vexen asked.

"Yes, sir. I checked on their progress and they completed the stage you required of them. That reminds me, I have a question."

"Yes, Dusk?"

"If we have fifteen members in the Organization, why are we called Organization XIII?" Dusk asked.

Even though Vexen's intellect was unmatched, he had no answer to that logical question. "I really don't know, Dusk. That's…a good question. Anyways, you get this place cleaned up and then later tonight we'll test that experiment in my lab." Vexen always made sure that his pupils did not experiment in his lab; it was his pride and joy and he certainly did not want risking them messing anything up.

"Sounds good. Everything will be cleaned up by then."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go meet with The Superior." Vexen then left the damaged room. He had taken only four steps into the hallway when he stopped. He scanned around the hallway before saying, "Come down, Xigbar. I know you're there." He heard someone drop to the ground behind him.

"Oh man, Vexen, you're getting really good! Didn't know you had it in you, dude," The Freeshooter, ranked second in the Organization, said to Vexen.

Vexen turned to face Xigbar and smugly answered, "Well, you've been trying to sneak attack me for many years, even before we were Nobodies. It was easier to stop you then. Yet you've been doing it so long that my intellect has far succeeded your sneakiness. But I appreciate the effort."

"As if! Are you sure about that, bro?" Xigbar asked, squinting his one eye quizzically.

Vexen gave a puzzled look before he heard a beep and felt himself hit by a laser, which knocked him onto the ground.

"Great shot, Sniper!" Xigbar told his henchman and buddy. Sniper and Xigbar caused a majority of the mischief that took place in The Castle That Never Was, so this was nothing new.

Sniper laughed and yelled, "Winning!"

"Looks like you're the one getting old and slow, Vexen!" said Xigbar while tossing his ponytail proudly.

Vexen got up and spat out "Why you…" But before he could finish his sentence, Xigbar and Sniper teleported away, leaving only the echoes of their laughter behind. "I'm surrounded by idiots. What did I do to deserve this?" Vexen grumbled as he continued on his way to Xemnas' office.

* * *

Xemnas was currently sitting at his desk in his office. The office was drab; only black and white adorned the room and its sparse furnishings. The Superior was on his computer and was very invested in the contents on the screen. He was so involved that he did not hear the initial knock on his door. A second, more forceful, knock occurred, startling him. "Um, come in."

Into his office walked Saïx. With blue hair and an X-shaped scare on his face, Saïx was one of the easiest members of the Organization to recognize. This worked well for many of the members, as they tried avoiding him at all costs. There was a valid reason for this: The Luna Diviner read all of the mission reports and informed members of new missions they had. Technically, Xemnas was supposed to create all of the missions, but almost the entire mission assigning went to Saïx, who was Xemnas' second in command, even though he only held the seventh rank in the Organization. Saïx worked basically as Xemnas' henchmen. Yet they were an unlikely duo, as Xemnas was prone to being dramatic and Saïx was emotionless.

"Ah, Saïx, how goes it?" Xemnas asked.

"Well, sir. Hard at work?"

"If you mean winning at this game of Hearts, than yes."

"I don't know what you enjoy in that game. I find it boring," was Saïx's dry response.

"You find everything boring, Saïx. And besides, this is as close to hearts as I can get these days!" Xemnas laughed at his own joke, but Saïx did not even crack a smile. "Oh come on, Saïx, that was a good one!"

"Indeed, sir. Vexen is here to see you, sir. You requested a meeting with him," Saïx stated.

"Very well. Send him in."

The Luna Diviner left Xemnas' office, putting him into his own. There, Vexen was waiting. Vexen had been watching Saïx's top assistant, Berserker, try to work at a computer. Like most Berserker Nobodies, he was very large, and the concept of squeezing him in an office chair and having him try to type on small keys kept Vexen entertained.

"He is ready for you," Saïx informed Vexen.

"Wonderful. Thank you, Number Seven," Vexen answered and then went into Xemnas' office. He rather loathed Saïx, seeing him as an upstart and a suck-up. Vexen always took the opportunity to remind Saïx that he technically served under him.

"Vexen, please sit down," said Xemnas. "I've been informed that there was an explosion in the Castle today."

"I am a scientist. Experiments are what I do, yes. Some explosions should be expected."

"Now, Vexen, I know how valuable your experiments are, but I simply cannot afford…"

"With all due respect, Superior, the explosion was not my fault. Roxas had another accident during his lessons today," Vexen explained.

"Is that so? That's happened several times this month, has it not?"

"Indeed. Thrice, to be exact."

"And what do you propose to do about this?" Xemnas questioned.

"The boy is untrainable. He is too incompetent. I remain unconvinced he is truly worth such coddling."

"But I do. Aren't you the amazing Vexen? Aren't you the greatest scientific mind to grace our existence? That's what you've told me!" Xemnas thundered.

"Of course!" Vexen exclaimed.

"Then, shouldn't you be able to train this boy?"

Vexen was rendered speechless. "You are…correct, Superior. I will…try harder," he stammered out. Vexen loathed The Superior at times like this. Perhaps it stemmed from jealously of Xehanort being Ansem's favorite apprentice back when he was Even. But he did fear Xemnas enough to not want to mess with him or draw his ire. Xemnas was rather proficient with his Ethereal Blades, and Vexen did not want to see a personal demonstration of how they worked.

"Excellent! And how's your newest project coming along?"

"It is proceeding according to plan," Vexen replied. "An experiment I planned for tonight should reveal some answers I've been seeking."

"Good. Then we have nothing else to discuss. You are dismissed."

Vexen could hardly get out of there fast enough. Seeing The Superior of the In-Between always made him anxious. "I shouldn't expect them to appreciate my true might. Hmph," he scoffed as he headed back towards his laboratory.

On the way there, he ran into Demyx. While admittedly, Vexen held disdain for almost all of the members in the Organization, the ninth ranked member and his sitar playing poignantly annoyed him.

"Oh, hey there Vexen! Whatcha up to?"

"If you must know, Demyx, I am going to my laboratory."

"You know, I've always wondered why you get your own bathroom," Demyx mused.

Vexen was perplexed as to what Demyx was referring to. "I don't follow."

"Laboratory? I learned that's a fancy name for a bathroom. Why do you get your own?" Demyx asked.

Vexen wondered how it was that possible to be that idiotic. "I think you are referring to a lavatory, not a laboratory."

"Oh."

"Yes, my laboratory is where I do my experiments, Demyx."

"So, it's like your lab?"

Vexen just looked at Demyx and sighed. "Yes. Like my lab."

"Mmmkay. Well, you have fun!" He then ran off to go start another jam session.

Vexen just sighed and continued on to his lab. "You know, I think his mullet is higher than his intellect."

* * *

Hi everybody! Hope you enjoyed this first bit here! Since this is my first fanfic, I would greatly appreciate any reviews.

-Mustachioed Academic


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty awesome!).

* * *

The library in the Castle That Never Was was a rather impressive one, spanning two floors, and holding thousands of books. It had been well stocked over the years mainly due to the efforts of Vexen and Zexion, the primary readers in the Organization. However, there were many other members of the Organization who enjoyed reading a good book from time to time, such as Lexaeus, Luxord, and Marluxia. The library, like most of the Castle That Never Was, was decorated rather drably, only employing the colors white, black, and grey. The second level of the library had a cozy reading space, complete with several couches and soft chairs.

It was there that Zexion, the sixth ranked member, spent a good deal of time, sitting in a chair on the balcony that overlooked the first floor. Zexion had been an avid reader as long as he could remember, even before he had turned into a Nobody. It was his passion; he longed to absorb as much information as he possibly could. Even though he was the youngest of the original six members, he was very knowledgeable. The Cloaked Schemer was currently reading in his spot when he sensed the scent of Larxene approaching the library. This instantly caused him great alarm.

Larxene, the twelfth member, was not exactly someone you wanted to have a conversation with. Her sadistic tendencies were legendary and few in the Organization could compare with her callousness. Despite this, she could, at times, be very flirtatious, childish, and playful. This was quite a dangerous combination indeed, as one never knew which Larxene they were going to run into.

But Zexion had a special reason for being anxious for Larxene's arrival. You see, he had developed quite a crush on The Savage Nymph, and thus was terrified to speak to her. He certainly had not made a move or talked to her about related topics, as Larxene was currently seeing someone.

Although Nobodies could not feel emotions, Larxene was in a complicated relationship with Axel. Since they both believed they were emotionless, it was a far more physical affair than emotional. But time from time, they acted like a normal relationship. They would often disappear together or be seen eating together.

Zexion wanted to see what Larxene was here for, but at the same time, he wanted to get as far away as possible. He could try to spy on her, but if she found out, he would rather die than see her reaction. On this day, his cowardice overcame his curiosity, and he quickly opened a Corridor of Darkness to escape.

Zexion exited the portal, finding himself now in front of a large door marked with a "V" on it. The door marked the entrance to the room of the Organization's fifth member, Lexaeus. Lexaeus was the physically strongest member in the Organization, the quietest, and Zexion's best friend.

Zexion knocked at the door. A few seconds, later, The Silent Hero opened the door. Wearing reading glasses and holding a book, Zexion realized that he had disturbed Lexaeus, but knew that Lexaeus would not mind.

"Come in," he told Zexion.

Zexion and Lexaeus seemed like a strange pair, as they were on opposite ends of the physical spectrum. Zexion also tended to speak a lot, while Lexaeus was a man of few words. Regardless, the two men got along very well.

"And what are you currently reading?" Zexion asked.

"A military strategy book. Never can know enough strategy," Lexaeus answered. Lexaeus was the most military-minded member and Xemnas often called upon him to plan small invasions into worlds. To date, the Organization had not attempted any large-scale invasions yet. On occasion, a small batch of lesser Nobodies was released onto a planet for the purpose of observing the populace's reactions. Currently, the Organization was content to watch Sora run around searching for the King and Riku after the defeat of "Ansem" and his Heartless plans.

"I see. Your favorite."

"We both know that you didn't come here to discuss my reading. What's up?" Lexaeus asked.

Zexion chuckled. "You know me too well. Larxene was coming into the library, and I had to flee, so I came here."

Lexaeus sighed. "You know, it's high time you start to do something about your crush on her."

"What can I do? She's already dating Axel!"

"Simple. You just need to show her that you care more about her than he does. Shouldn't be too hard," commented Lexaeus. Axel was not necessarily known for being a terrific boyfriend, and many of the males in the Organization suspected that he was solely there for the physical aspect.

"Okay. And how exactly would I do that?"

"That's your job to figure out. I didn't say it was going to be easy."

"Some friend you are!" Zexion scoffed.

"I suggest finding out what she likes. Maybe a book or favorite food or something like that."

"You know what she likes? Sticking knives into people. Zapping people for no reason."

"But you still like her," Lexaeus interjected.

Zexion sighed. "Yes, yes I do. It's kind of a turn on."

"Did NOT need to hear that. Basically, you just need to get past her outer shield and find the real Larxene. You're intelligent. You should be able to do that."

"Such wise words."

"I try," Lexaeus responded with a grin.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do."

"Good luck!"

"I'll need it!" With that, Zexion created a Portal of Darkness and disappeared.

Lexaeus moved to open his book and resume his reading, but another knock came at his door. Sighing, he got up and answered the door, thinking it was Zexion. He was surprised to see that it was not Zexion, but Saïx at the door. "Saïx?"

"The Superior has requested a meeting with you. Immediately."

Lexaeus raised his eyebrows. "Regarding what?"

"I'm unsure myself. He only asked me to retrieve you."

Lexaeus was not only shocked that Xemnas wanted to meet with him, but also that Saïx, who always knew what the Superior was doing, was in the dark about this meeting. "Well, we wouldn't want to keep the Superior waiting, now would we?"

* * *

Roxas, Naminé, and Xion were walking down the hallways of The Castle That Never Was on their way to the Nobody Pen. This was located in the second lowest level of the castle just above Vexen's lab. This level was expansive, being where all of the other lesser Nobodies lived. Several thousand Nobodies roamed this lower level, as well as throughout the Castle. But here was where they slept and were fed every day. One of the fifteen would have to go feed the Nobodies every day, although somehow the task always seemed to fall on the lower members.

On this particular day, Roxas had been assigned to feed the Nobodies. Unsurprisingly, both Naminé and Xion accompanied him to the job. The three often hung out together, but not of their accord. You see, both Naminé and Xion had massive crushes on Roxas, so they would often compete against each other for his attention and try to impress him. This generally involved always making sure the other was not alone with Roxas. Roxas, however, was completely oblivious to this, and assumed that the three were all close friends.

"How'd lab go today?" he asked them.

"I successfully completed the lab today and made a really pretty solution," Naminé started.

"Well, I completed the lab in record time," Xion quickly interjected.

"Hmm, that's cool," Roxas replied.

"How about you?" Xion asked.

"I…blew up the lab again today."

"Oh Roxas, I'm so sorry. I'm sure you were doing really well," Naminé offered.

"Yeah! You're so smart, you'll get it next time!" Xion added. Apparently, they even competed in providing sympathy to Roxas.

"Thanks, guys. Chemistry's just not my thing I guess." Boy, was that an understatement.

The trio finally arrived and looked around the pen. The Nobodies were gathering, well aware of what time they got fed.

"Give us food!" one bold Gambler cried out. He then promptly threw some dice at Roxas, which he was unable to dodge. No one really enjoyed feeding the Nobodies, as they became quite savage around their eating time.

"Calm down, everyone. We're here," Xion commanded.

"Someone's gotta go make sure there's food on the trap door," Roxas said.

"I can do that," replied Naminé excitedly, thinking she had beat Xion to the opportunity to do something for Roxas.

"On it," Xion replied and she then took off for the silo-like tower that stood near the edge of the room. Xion was a little crasser than Naminé, probably inheriting that trait from her creator.

Naminé sighed, knowing that she could not outrun Xion.

"I guess Xion's gonna do it. You'll just have to go with me to the rope," Roxas told Naminé, followed by a smile.

Naminé realized that perhaps she had not lost after all, as she was now alone with Roxas. The young blonde was shy, especially when it came to Roxas, and certainly not as outgoing as Xion, but was a little nicer. She blushed and smiled. "Sounds good."

The pair headed for another tower in the room. At the top of this tower was a large rope, which when pulled, opened the trap door that Xion was loading with food. When it was pulled, all of the feed would land in the center of the room, and the feast was on.

"Your…your hair looks very nice today, Roxas," Naminé told him.

"Aw, thanks Naminé." Roxas felt that his hair looked like it did every day, but he still appreciated that Naminé commented on it. "Vexen and Zexion always say I should cut my hair, but that never makes sense to me, 'cause Vexen and Zexion's hair needs cutting more than mine does."

Naminé laughed. "Good one, Roxas. That's so true!"

Over at the tower, Xion was putting the last of the bags onto the door. She looked at one of the bags, reading its label. _Nobody Feed! Made with real hearts! Now with 10% more hearts!_ The picture was that of a happy-looking Dusk eating the feed out of a dog bowl."Nothing but the best." She turned towards Roxas and Naminé, and rose her hand, signaling that the feed was loaded and ready to go.

"All right, here goes nothing!" Roxas called out. "Come and get it, guys!" He pulled the rope and the trapdoor opened, dropping the bags to the floor. The Nobodies swarmed the food and began tearing into the bags and the food, loudly chomping and growling as they did so.

Xion leaped down to Naminé and Roxas, and the three slowly backed out of the room. Nobodies didn't enjoy being disturbed as they ate, and the trio certainly did not want to do anything that may accidentally draw the Nobodies' ire.

As he closed and locked the door, Roxas sighed a breath of relief. "Well, looks like we made it!"

"Oh, how sweet! Look at the little kids being all proud of themselves for feeding mindless pets!" cooed a new voice.

The three looked to see who the voice was, although they already had a sinking feeling they knew who it belonged to.

Larxene was standing before them, hands on her hips. "Miss me, losers?" One thing she took great pride in doing was to make the three youngest members of the Organization's life miserable.

"Aw man, not Larxene!" Roxas complained.

Naminé and Xion may have held strong feelings for Roxas, but they both knew that Larxene loved to torture Roxas more than anyone. As such, they started to slowly back away from Roxas.

"Come on, Larxene, I'm not having a great day," said Roxas.

"Not my fault, loser. Why don't you just lock yourself in the Pen, so I don't have to do it myself."

"I'm not going do that!"

"Poor choice, kid." From her cloak, she drew her knives. "This should help you get the point." She laughed at her pun and prepared to strike.

Roxas quickly drew his Keyblade, but knew that he stood little to no chance against Larxene.

"That's quite enough." All four heads turned to see who this voice belonged to.

The voice belonged to the tenth member in the Organization, Luxord. Speaking with a refined British accent, he held a certain air of maturity that many of the other members could never hope to attain. He also was one of the most respected members in the Organization, although no one could tell you why. Everyone seemed to like Luxord, although no one would list him as his or her best friend. He was just one of those guys that was polite and nice enough to warrant great respect.

"I must insist that this fighting cease, as I was told to inform you all that Xemnas requests everyone's presence in Where Nothing Gathers for an announcement," he drawled.

"But can't I just finish this quickly?" Larxene pleaded. "Pretty please, with sugar on top?" She batted her eyes at him accordingly.

"Larxene, you'll have to deal with Roxas on your own time," The Gambler of Fate replied.

"Can't I use some of yours? I mean, you control time, right?" She smiled at him.

"Very clever, Larxene. But these are the Superior's orders."

"You're no fun at all," she answered and then pouted. Turning to Roxas, she continued, "You got lucky today. But that means it'll be twice as bad next time, punk." Larxene then created a Portal of Darkness and left.

"Let's go to the meeting," Roxas told Naminé and Xion.

"You were so brave there, standing up to Larxene," Naminé cooed.

"Oh yes, Roxas, you were simply wonderful!" Xion chimed in, as the three walked away.

Luxord watched them walk off and sighed. "Children these days. No gratefulness at all. How uncivilized."

* * *

Alright everyone, here's chapter two, where we meet some more of the main cast. I'm having a lot of fun writing this and would love to know what you all think so far!

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty awesome!).

* * *

"What could Xemnas possibly want to tell us at this time of day? Meetings are always in the morning," Vexen grumbled to Zexion as they walked into Where Nothing Gathers.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Evidently, it must be of some importance," Zexion answered.

Where Nothing Gathers held fifteen thrones, one for each of the members, in a circular pattern, with the odd-numbered members on Xemnas' left and the even-numbered on his right. These thrones varied in height, but all started at the base level. When the member arrived in his or her chair, it would rise to the height that they had preset. Vexen and Zexion were not surprised to see that only Saïx was currently in the room.

"What do you think Saïx does for fun?" Zexion whispered. "He's always the first one at meetings and is in his office or the Grey Room all the time."

"He probably just sits in here in silence," Vexen whispered back. This caused both of them to chuckle.

"Good evening, gentlemen," Saïx calmly announced.

"Always a pleasure, Saïx," Zexion answered. Like Vexen, Zexion did not think too highly of Saïx. This most likely resulted from the fact that Saïx had replaced Zexion as Mission Taskmaster as the Organization expanded its numbers. Vexen and Zexion then went to their thrones, which were located right next to each other.

The next two to enter the room were Xaldin and Xigbar. Ranked second and third, they also were best friends, going all the way back to their Radiant Garden days. Immediately after them, Marluxia and Larxene entered and took their positions. Soon after, the three youngest members arrived and took their seats.

"Vexen, why is your chair so low? I've always wanted to know," Roxas asked Vexen.

Vexen sighed, while the older members chuckled. "If you must know, it is positioned at this height in case I need to quickly get to my lab. If something went awry, the results could be potentially disastrous, thus requiring my immediate presence."

"Has that ever happened before?"

Xigbar broke into laughter, which caused Vexen to shoot a sharp glare at him. "Shouldn't you be getting into your throne?" he asked to Roxas, avoiding the question.

Luxord then entered the room. Looking around at the room, he went over towards Xaldin's chair. Xaldin came down and they quietly communicated. Luxord pulled out a piece of paper and marked something down, before heading to Xigbar's throne.

This happened in turn with Xigbar, Vexen, Zexion, Marluxia, and Larxene. Saïx looked disapprovingly at Luxord but refrained from comment. Roxas (as usual) looked confused, as did Naminé and Xion. Finally, Luxord took his seat.

"Shouldn't Lexaeus be here by now?" Vexen asked Zexion.

"He's normally here already. The meeting starts in three minutes," Zexion noted.

Saïx then announced to the group, "Lexaeus will not be present as he is meeting with the Superior."

This caused mumbling and quiet discussion amongst the present members.

"So that means Xemnas isn't even going to be here?" Roxas asked Marluxia.

The eleventh ranked, pink-haired member turned to Roxas. "I guess not. How typical," he scoffed.

Just then, Axel, the eighth ranked member, entered. But before he could say anything witty, Xigbar shouted, "Nailed it!"

Roxas noted that Zexion and Marluxia also looked pleased at Axel's arrival. "What happened?" he asked Marluxia.

"Luxord set up a bet for who would be last to arrive, Axel or Demyx, and Xigbar, Zexion, and myself chose Demyx. Tough luck for the others."

Saïx rolled his eyes, prompting Luxord to say, "Make sure to see me afterwards to either pay up or collect. It's been a pleasure." Luxord, as one might expect, loved to bet on any and everything, so Saïx was rather used to these little bets popping up.

Axel feigned hurt, saying "I can't believe that some of you picked against me! I'm so insulted!"

"Sit down, Axel," Xaldin shot back sharply.

"Jeez, cool it. I thought I was supposed to be the fiery one," The Flurry of Dancing Flames responded. That won a smile from Larxene and the younger members.

Finally, Demyx stumbled in. "Sorry everyone, I had to replace a string on my sitar. Fortunately, I was able to do it!" Undoubtedly, most of the members hoped that The Melodious Nocturne would have failed in that task. It's not that Demyx couldn't play; rather, he was a musical genius. However, he played incessantly, and that could grate on the more impatient members rapidly.

"If you would take your seat, Demyx, we can begin," said Saïx. "Now you are all wondering what you were summoned for and why The Superior is not here. He is currently meeting with Lexaeus and apologizes for his absence. He does, however, want you to know that there will be a meeting tomorrow morning. It is of the utmost importance that you attend this meeting, as he will be personally assigning missions. That is all for this evening." Saïx then disappeared in a Portal of Darkness.

As his chair lowered to the ground, the other members simply looked on silence. They were shocked from the shortness of this meeting and the information Saïx had just announced to them.

After absorbing the initial shock of Saïx's news, the members moved to exit Where Nothing Gathers. Descending from their thrones, most were eager to discuss the news. Almost immediately, Vexen nodded at Zexion and opened a Portal to Darkness, with Zexion following him in. Marluxia and Larxene left together, with Larxene blowing a kiss to Axel on the way out.

"Hey Roxas, wanna go jam?" Demyx asked.

"Yeah, let's go," Roxas responded and they left, off to make some sort of cacophonous racket. Roxas was nowhere near as musically talented as Demyx.

Uninterested in the boys' music session, Xion created a Portal of Darkness and left. Naminé also left, leaving only Axel, Luxord, Xigbar, and Xaldin in the room.

"It appears that the game has begun," Luxord mused.

"You really think so?" asked Axel. Axel sure hoped so; the monotony of missions already had him bored. As someone who sought action, sneaking around wasn't quite his forte.

"I would guess yes. We all know Xemnas never assigns missions, so something big must be coming," Xaldin explained. The Whirlwind Lancer was a strong voice of reason in the Organization, rarely engaging in antics like Xigbar or Axel or drama like Xemnas and Marluxia, and pleasant to most members, unlike Vexen or Larxene.

"And our homeboy Lexaeus is all about military stuff," continued Xigbar, "so that can only mean one thing."

"You think we're going to start an invasion?" Axel asked.

"Well, I certainly believe we'll be making more public appearances," Xaldin replied. The Organization operated under the utmost of secrecy until this point. In fact, no one knew of its existence. All Nobodies that were created appeared on The World That Never Was, and Xemnas never allowed the lesser Nobodies to leave the planet outside of Lexaeus' controlled invasion operations, and the members were exceedingly careful to not be noticed on their missions.

"It's about time! You young pups haven't been here as long, but Xaldin and I have been waiting years for this!" Both of them were members of the Original Six, who had been Nobodies for seven years now.

"Regardless, we shall find out what the Superior has planned. Any more speculation seems futile to me. Until tomorrow, gentlemen." Luxord curtly nodded at them, created a Portal of Darkness, and left.

"Agreed. Boy, I sure hope this announcement will spice things up." Axel followed suit and disappeared in his portal.

There was a couple seconds of silence until Xaldin began, "I feel that you know more than you are letting onto, my old friend. What exactly have you heard?"

"Not much, dude. Xemy has been too secretive, even for me. Although I did hear him ask X-Face if the ships were ready," Xigbar replied.

"A space invasion, perhaps?"

"Don't know, man. Could be, could be."

* * *

Larxene and Marluxia had gone back to his room. It was easy to tell which room was Marluxia's as he had painted all of his walls pink. Xemnas had discouraged complete painting of the walls, which is partly why Marluxia had done it. Currently, The Graceful Assassin was seated at his desk chair while Larxene was lying on her back on his bed. The pair had been best friends from the moment Larxene had arrived in the Organization. She was very comfortable with him, showing no signs of her fiendish part of her personality. In fact, it seemed that Larxene lowered her guard when around Marluxia. For his part, he was a cool and collected individual, which is perhaps why he worked so well with The Savage Nymph.

High in The Castle That Never Was was where each member had a bedroom. Each room was the same upon moving in, featuring sterile white walls, a bed, a desk, and a chair. Xemnas was mostly unconcerned what each member did with his or her room after they got it (outside of painting the walls completely, drawings were apparently considered okay), so each member's room ended up being decorated with a feel of each member's liking. Numbers 2-8 were located on the right side of the hallway, with 9-15 on the left. With this setup, Marluxia and Larxene's room were next to each other, so they often hung out. Axel didn't seem to mind, most likely due to the fact that Marluxia's sexuality was ambiguous and no one, not even Larxene, knew for sure. Basically, Marluxia was the gay best friend, whose sexuality was indeterminate.

"So Xemnas is finally deciding to actually do something," Marluxia began. It was no secret that there was no love lost between the Superior and the Graceful Assassin. Marluxia felt that he could easily run the Organization better than Xemnas. But he bided his time.

"Guess so. Wonder what he's cooking up?" she responded.

"No idea. Knowing him, it's probably missions designed to test us. To see how we rank or something like that."

"But then why is he meeting with Lexaeus? Doesn't he do military stuff?"

"Hmmm…you're right. Maybe we will be doing something important. I know Dahlia wouldn't mind some action," he said in reference to his scythe. "And then perhaps we could leave this drab world and actually explore some of the galaxy. Maybe I could visit some of the worlds I've read about. Wouldn't that be exciting?"

"Yeah," she responded without enthusiasm.

Sensing her lack of interest in the conversation, Marluxia steered it towards what he presumed was on her mind instead. "How are you and your fiery redhead doing? Are things 'heating up,' as it were?"

She laughed. "The same. I mean, we hang out and have a good time."

"But…?"

"But I don't know. I can never get a good gauge on how he's feeling," she answered.

That got a laugh out of Marluxia. "Honey, I'm pretty sure that's how relationships work."

Larxene sat up on the bed. "You're probably right. I just feel like…something's missing."

"Love, perhaps. You seem to have the physical aspect down." He dodged a pillow thrown at him by Larxene and continued on. "But you have to remember, we don't have hearts. Which makes love that more difficult, my dear."

"So they say." She flipped over on the bed, now lying on the bed on her stomach, her arms holding her head up.

"You remain unconvinced, I see."

"Sometimes, I wish I had a heart, 'cause it would make something like love easier. But then, there are other times, where I'm glad I don't have one. Makes my job easier." Larxene hit on the head exactly the existential crisis that plagued many members of the Organization: how to proceed to life without a heart.

"You're right. It can be tough. But that's just how life is sometimes. And our job, it to find our own path and make it through, right?"

"Right. I guess I should be more patient with Axel. He's just trying to find his own path too. It might take him a while, 'cause he's not an intellectual, that for sure!"

Marluxia laughed at the dig. "Most men aren't," he retorted back, which caused Larxene to laugh. "And the ones that are, are weird. Look at Vexen at Zexion!"

Larxene laughed again. "You're killing me, Marly. Funny 'cause it's true!"

* * *

Hey there everyone! Thanks for reading and please review!

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty awesome!).

* * *

Speaking of Vexen and Zexion, they had disappeared to Vexen's lab to talk about the meeting. At a large metal door, Vexen's eyes were scanned before the door opened, ensuring only The Chilly Academic would be able to enter. The door opened up to his laboratory, which also doubled as Vexen's living space. Besides the lab, Vexen had a bedroom, living room, and kitchen (with a bar) in his basement lair. Vexen did not use his assigned bedroom, as it found it more convenient to set up his living quarters here, claiming that it allowed him to accomplish more. The Superior didn't care, as the Castle That Never Was was expansive, and the lowest level basically went unused outside of the lab.

Dusk was waiting for Vexen upon his arrival. "All of the necessary preparations have been made for the experiment," he informed Vexen.

"Splendid. Can you go retrieve a bottle of wine for Zexion and myself?"

"Of course." Dusk scuttled off.

"I wish I had a Nobody henchman," Zexion complained. "It would make things so much easier."

"Don't complain, you had a chance to get one. Xemnas offered up Creeper for you, and you turned him down," Vexen reminded.

"Those Creepers look so bizarre. They have a weird head and they walk on their hands. Their hands! That makes them functionless. Besides, they can shapeshift into peculiar things…they'd be no help to me at all. Especially in the Library, where I would need them most." Zexion was the head of the Library, and would have preferred to have someone assist in the upkeep and running of it. Occasionally, he was able to get help from Naminé or Xion, but more often than not, he had to do all of the work himself.

"I suppose that is why Creeper remains unclaimed," Vexen mused as they moved into the living room and sat down.

Dusk returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He then gave Vexen the bottle to inspect.

"Disney '08. Not a great year, but more than passable for this evening. The Mouse King does make one of the better brands." In addition to his bar, Vexen also had a small wine cellar in his lab/home. Thus, if any member needed alcohol quickly, Vexen was the go-to man, providing a deal could be reached with him. Dusk opened the bottle and poured a glass for the two members and then left.

Zexion tried his. "Hmm…not bad, not bad at all. So what do you make of this meeting tomorrow?"

"Well, based on the facts that Xemnas is assigning missions and Lexaeus is involved, I conclude that we will be moving forward with the Organization's grand scheme."

"Which is what, exactly? Its mission is rather vague."

"Indeed. Our mission is to regain our hearts, although no one but perhaps Xemnas knows how that is possible," Vexen explained.

"And how would he know?"

"He was Ansem the Wise's favorite assistant, if you remember. That may have gained him access to information I didn't have."

"I don't remember a whole lot about that. I was only a boy when Xehanort arrived," Zexion noted.

"Oh yes. I remember you quite well then." Vexen was not exactly a man who had many friends, preferring to remain solo rather than socialize. But if pressed, he would have probably named Zexion as the person whose company he enjoyed most. Even had practically raised Ienzo, thus they had always been close.

Outside of Lexaeus, Vexen was the member Zexion spent the most time with. Zexion felt he could talk to Vexen about everything except for one topic: Larxene. Vexen despised The Savage Nymph, and she loathed him as well.

"Fortunately, you mellowed out a bit," Vexen continued.

Zexion smirked. "I guess so. Here's a question, though. If we are invading other worlds, how will the troops arrive? Xemnas cannot possibly expect we have enough spacecraft to move all of our troops."

"I believe that I have created the solution for that." He picked up his glass and drained the entire thing, much to Zexion's horror. Vexen was known to be able to put away alcohol with the best of them. "To the lab!"

Dusk was already waiting for the pair in the lab. In the center of the lab was a large, metallic device. To be more precise, it was a large metallic cube, with the Nobody insignia on it. Zexion was surprised to see such a simple looking device, as Vexen was known to create many larger and intricate works; this seemed too "easy" to be one of his devices.

"The Superior asked me about a month ago to create a device that could allow for the transportation of Nobodies. Specifically, as in teleportation. Behold!"

Dusk threw a switch and electricity flowed into the box. It shook, and then a portal opened up and a Creeper appeared. He looked confused, scanning the room to try and determine what happened. "It worked!" Dusk cried out.

"That was your first test? You mean that could have exploded and killed me?" a concerned Zexion asked.

"Nonsense, my machines are flawless! You probably would have been fine. Allow me to present to you the Nobody Spawner. The user can determine what type of Nobody appears as well as how many. Thus, we would be…"

"Master!" the Creeper called out upon seeing Zexion.

Zexion looked horrified. "I am not your master, Creeper!"

Creeper sighed and looked crestfallen. "No one loves me."

Vexen, annoyed that he had been interrupted, continued on. "As I was saying, this would allow us to spawn Nobodies on whatever planet this device was located on. Although I…"

"Hi Dusk!" the Creeper called out, noticing his friend Dusk in the room. Dusk gave him a little wave, but was more embarrassed than happy to see Creeper.

"Interrupt me one more time and you'll rue it!" Vexen growled. "Although at the time I didn't…"

"What does 'rue' mean?" Creeper asked.

Vexen wheeled around and blasted a freezing mist at Creeper. Seconds later he was encased inside a large ice cube. "Ignorant wretch. Although at the time I didn't know what Xemnas wanted it for, it now makes sense to me. I suspect The Superior's plan is to use this to provide soldiers for invading a planet. As long as this device is on said planet, any amount of Nobodies can be teleported from here to that planet."

"And our Nobody total ranges in the millions, which should be more than enough troops. But besides power and control, what exactly would taking over a planet get us?" Zexion asked.

"That I don't know. I'm assuming that is what The Superior will tell us tomorrow. Dusk, please chip out Creeper and get him out of my lab."

"Way ahead of you, boss." Dusk held up an ice pick that he had retrieved already. He went over Creeper and used a pick to chip out a small piece.

"If you would be so kind, Dusk, I'll take that for my wine here," Zexion said.

Dusk brought over the cube and put it in Zexion's glass, while Vexen looked on, disapprovingly. "Really?"

Zexion laughed. "What?"

"I could have easily created that for you at any time," Vexen responded.

"Oh. I know," he answered with a devilish grin.

* * *

Unlike most meetings, this morning meeting had the members of the Organization eager to attend. In fact, everyone, even Axel and Demyx, had arrived no later than five minutes before the scheduled time. Everyone had taken their seats and was silently waiting, which was also abnormal for a meeting. At the exact minute the meeting was to begin, the members heard the voice of Xemnas announce, "Good morning, everyone." Immediately a Portal of Darkness followed by Xemnas appeared on his throne.

"I apologize for the last minute announcement of the meeting, but certain events set into motion the urgency of this mission. Is everyone here?" Xemnas scanned the room to make sure. He didn't want anyone to miss his great speech.

"Here we go," Vexen grumbled.

"I assume everyone here is familiar with the Heartless. Undoubtedly, you've stumbled upon them during your travels." Nods of agreement came from the members. "There are two types of Heartless." He extended his hand and a Shadow appeared in the center of Where Nothing Gathers. "This is a Pureblood Heartless." He extended his other hand and a Soldier appeared. "This is an Emblem Heartless. The difference is that Emblem Heartless have an emblem on them. This distinction is very important."

Vexen rolled his eyes. This was not new information to anyone in the Organization, but when The Superior was on a roll, you just had to let him go and do what he wanted.

"Roxas and Xion. Please eliminate these Heartless."

They looked at each other and then went to work. Roxas took the Shadow down and Xion finished off the Soldier. Upon the elimination of the Soldier, a heart was released, floated up and then disappeared. They returned to their thrones.

"As you can see, when an Emblem Heartless is eliminated, they release a captive heart. Pureblood Heartless do not. I'm sure you all have wondered where those hearts go."

Vexen shifted forward in his chair. Xemnas was now approaching new territory, and Vexen was keen to absorb any information he could.

"When those hearts are released, they go into the sky where they will eventually form Kingdom Hearts."

This caused gasps of shock from some of the older members, who had heard of Kingdom Hearts. The younger and newer members looked confused.

"Kingdom Hearts is, of course, a place of untold knowledge and power that has been sought after for generations. Recently, a witch named Maleficent was seeking it. She had been attempting to use the Princesses of Heart to gain her access to Kingdom Hearts. A boy named Sora has defeated her and her scheme."

Roxas perked up at the mention of his other's name. At first, Xemnas wasn't sure if he should tell Roxas about the existence of his real person, but decided to so that he could, instead of another member. All the members really knew about Sora was that he was a Keyblade wielder, he was Roxas' other, and that he was not to be messed with.

Xemnas had left out the part about Xehanort's Heartless, as he was the only one, outside of Xigbar, who knew of the existence of the fake "Ansem." He felt there was no need to confuse the members or raise their suspicions. "We, too, are seeking Kingdom Hearts," he thundered.

Vexen marveled at Xemnas' ambitiousness. Going after Kingdom Hearts was a pretty big deal, especially if it already had attracted Maleficent.

"And perhaps you are wondering why we will seek Kingdom Hearts. The answer is simple. Kingdom Hearts will complete us by giving us our hearts back." One could have heard a pin drop in Where Nothing Gathers. Every member was shocked speechless at the bomb that Xemnas had casually dropped. "Thus, you can see the importance of creating Kingdom Hearts." Xemnas raised his hand again and another Soldier appeared. "Roxas."

The Key of Destiny obliged, jumping down and killing the Soldier, sending the released heart sky bound.

"Behold! Kingdom Hearts!" The ceiling of Where Nothing Gathers disappeared, revealing the dark sky (Since the sky was always dark, no matter what time of day on the World That Never Was). The heart floated up and then disappeared. Suddenly, a massive heart shaped moon appeared. "Enough hearts have been collected for Kingdom Hearts to finally reveal itself. Behold!"

"He's always had a flair for the dramatic," Vexen mumbled, although he, too, was in awe at the events that had transpired.

"It is not complete though. It will take some time to complete it, which is why this shall be our new mission: the completion of Kingdom Hearts. Some of the older members may be wondering why it has taken this long for Kingdom Hearts to appear. You see, there is an important condition when killing Emblem Heartless. In order for the heart to go to Kingdom Heats and not fade into oblivion, a Keyblade must release the heart."

Everyone turned to look at Roxas and Xion, who shifted uncomfortably in their chairs.

"But fear not, there is also another way to gain hearts for our Kingdom Hearts. If the heart of a world is plunged into our darkness, that heart will go to our Kingdom Hearts. Hearts of worlds are worth far more than an Emblem Heartless' heart." Many of the members held looks of pensiveness on their face, attempting to figure out how exactly to process all of the information. "And thus, I will be assigning new missions. Roxas and Xion: you will be sent on Collect Hearts missions. You shall be sent to various worlds that we have already scoped out and simply kill as many Emblem Heartless as possible. Don't waste time on Pureblood Heartless, as they offer no gain to our worth cause. As for the rest of you, I have set up a few pairings that will visit new worlds that we have barely scouted out. Your task is simple: to take over the world and plunge it into darkness. In order to do that, you will need an army of Nobodies. Vexen, could you briefly explain your newest project?"

Vexen cleared his throat and began. "I have created a Nobody Spawner, which will allow an unlimited amount of Nobodies to be teleported from here to the world that the device is on."

"Precisely," Xemnas responded. "Is it possible for you to create three more of those machines?"

"It is, Superior, but that may take some time."

"Excellent. For those of you that are sent to the worlds, your immediate goal will be to watch over the lesser Nobodies' construction of an Organization Base. It will house your Spawner, and when the base and Spawner are ready, you will commence your attack. This may take several weeks or months to complete, so this will definitely be an extended mission. It must also be done in as much secrecy possible, as Lexaeus has determined a surprise attack is best."

"That is not to say you cannot interact with the life forms on your world, but that your true intentions must be held secret. The worlds that I chose for invasion are worlds that should be both easy to take over and easy to conceal your bases," Lexaeus offered up.

"Naminé will be here at the Castle to help wipe any memories if a mistake regarding that is made. But doing so would take some time, precious time that you could have had with your hearts. More details will be provided later today, as you will be called into my office to discuss your specific missions. Before I announce the pairings, are there any questions?"

Vexen raised his hand, which surprised no one in the Organization. "When we get our hearts and become completed, will we revert back to original, powerless forms?"

"Excellent question, Vexen. You will not turn back into your old selves, but instead remain as you are now, except you will be complete, as you will now have a heart." This answer was pleasing to the members, and they nodded and mumbled in appreciation.

"As aforementioned, you will be meeting with me today to discuss your specific missions. But for now, here are the pairings for your missions. Xigbar will be partnered with Axel and traveling to the planet of Lothal." Both Xigbar and Axel nodded in approval. The two got along well, so there would be no problems.

"Vexen, you will be going to Neverland unaccompanied." Vexen smiled, understanding that he would have all sorts of alone time, allowing him to experiment endlessly.

"Luxord and Marluxia, you will be going to the planet of Toontopia. And finally, Zexion, you will be teamed up with Larxene on your excursion to Deep Jungle." Zexion blanched, stunned at the fact that he had just been partnered with his crush. He looked at Lexaeus, who flashed him a grin.

"I have left a list with Saïx that gives you your appointment time today. I look forward to seeing you then and answering any questions you may have. I would highly suggest visiting the Library or the Computer Room, in the meantime, to research your planet." With that, Xemnas disappeared in his Portal, ending the meeting.

* * *

And thus the plan is revealed! Hope you all are enjoying it so far!

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty awesome!).

* * *

"This is all your doing!" Zexion spewed at Lexaeus. The two had gone back to Zexion's room after the meeting. Currently, Zexion's face was bright red in anger, upset at what his friend had done to him.

"A simple thank you would suffice," Lexaeus replied.

"A thank you? This is terrible. Did you hear how long Xemnas said this mission would take? Several weeks at minimum!" All Zexion could imagine was the different ways Larxene would slice him up after becoming irritated at him.

"That would mean you have several weeks of alone time with Larxene. Seems like a good idea to me."

"Unless I mess up! She could hate me by the end of this!"

"Sink or swim. You weren't going to do anything, so I took matters in my own hands. I suggested your two skill sets would complement each other nicely, and The Superior agreed."

Zexion sighed. "I really hate you sometimes."

Lexaeus knew that his friend would get over his anger quickly, so he simply ignored Zexion's biting remarks. "And if it doesn't go well, then you know she's not the right girl for you. In addition, I gave you guys the easiest planet. Shouldn't be too hard to destroy the Deep Jungle."

"How kind of you," Zexion seethed.

"And think, it'll be just in time for getting our hearts back," Lexaeus pointed out. He hoped that bringing up hearts might move the conversation towards that part of Xemnas' reveal.

"I suppose so. Just think. Actually having our hearts back. I can barely remember what it was like to have a heart," Zexion mused. He was calming down now, much to Lexaeus' relief.

"It certainly is something to look forward to. I think we're closer than we've ever been in these past seven years."

Zexion checked the time and sighed. "I have to go meet with The Superior to get briefed."

"Good luck. With both your meeting…and Larxene."

Zexion shook his head at Lexaeus. "For your sake…this better go well. Or I'll make your life a living hell…somehow."

* * *

Upon arriving in his office after the meeting, Xemnas found a man in a black coat seated in his desk.

"How did it go?" the mysterious figure asked.

"I thought it went well. Kingdom Hearts has appeared as expected and they all appear anxious to complete it."

"So your plan is on?"

"I would assume so. We won't need to gather all thirteen darknesses if I can pull this off," Xemnas noted.

"For Master Xehenort's plan, I hope so."

"Is there any way you could look into the future to see if I will succeed?"

"That's not how my power works," the mysterious figure replied.

"Very well."

The mysterious figure opened up a Portal to Darkness and stepped half in. "Don't fail, Xemnas."

"And a good day to you, too."

The mysterious man then completely stepped into the Portal and disappeared.

* * *

Zexion stepped into Saïx's office to find Saïx calmly waiting for him at the desk. Of all of the Nobodies, the only who could possibly compare to Saïx's inordinate lack of emotions was Lexaeus. Otherwise, Saïx was leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else.

"Saïx," Zexion greeted.

"Is Larxene with you?"

"She is not. Although she should be here."

"That is correct." An awkward silence passed, as the two rivals had nothing else to say to each other.

Fortunately, Larxene stepped into the office. "Let's get this show on the road, boys."

"He is waiting for inside," Saïx said as he motioned to the door. "Knock first."

"And if we don't?" Larxene challenged.

Zexion paused to see if Saïx would say anything. Upon him not, and simply staring at Larxene, Zexion went to the door and knocked.

"You're such a goody two-shoes," she told him.

Upon hearing Xemnas confirm their entrance, they headed into Xemnas' office. Nothing ever changed in Xemnas' office since Zexion had first been in the office seven years ago. Xemnas refused to update his computer even, preferring to keep his large and bulky dinosaur instead.

"Zexion and Larxene. Please be seated. As I mentioned earlier, you will be going to the Deep Jungle to build our base. I won't bore you with information on the geography or topography, as I would expect you to be able to locate that information yourself. What is of note, however, is that you will not have to deal with any Heartless."

"Why is that?" Zexion asked.

"On his path to defeat Maleficent, Sora landed on the Deep Jungle and sealed its Keyhole."

"Well, isn't he just a swell guy?" Larxene quipped.

"No Heartless at all? That should simplify things. And how will we be arriving? Obviously, we won't be using a Portal." Zexion was of course, more concerned with logistics than Larxene was.

"Correct. In order to get your construction crew of Nobodies there, you will be dropped off by one of the flagships along with your building materials. Your Spawner will be delivered only after the base is complete," Xemnas droned on. "I shouldn't need to remind you two how imperative it is that the two of you complete this mission without your cover being blown. And that's why I will be sending Creeper along with you as a henchman."

Both Zexion and Larxene sprung into protests.

"Creeper? He's so stupid!" Larxene yelled.

"Creeper is unfit for service due to his incompetence!" Zexion interjected at the same time as Larxene.

"Silence!" Xemnas called out. "All of the other groups will have their henchmen with them. Since neither of you have one, you will be working with Creeper. Perhaps one of you will even want to claim him afterwards. Consider it an audition."

"But sir, I've already…" Zexion began.

"There will be no further discussion on this subject, is that clear?"

Zexion bowed his head. "Indeed."

"Crystal," Larxene added.

"Excellent. Your ship leaves tomorrow morning. I suggest you spend the rest of the day packing and researching. There will be a feast tonight. Attend."

Zexion nodded. "Of course."

"And Larxene? Play nice with Zexion."

Larxene smirked. "I'll try, but no promises, boss." With that, she sauntered out of the office.

"Zexion, good luck."

"Thank you, Superior. I have the utmost confidence that our mission will be a success."

"I meant working with Larxene. But yeah, the mission too," Xemnas retorted.

* * *

An hour later, it was Vexen's turn to visit The Superior. Striding confidently, he completely ignored Saïx as he passed though his office, and entered Xemnas' office without knocking.

"Good morning, Superior. I am here for my briefing."

"Ah yes, you will be traveling to Neverland. You'll be dropped off along with Dusk and your Nobody construction crew by one of the flagships."

"Excellent."

"You leave tomorrow morning. There is a feast tonight." Xemnas knew to be short and direct with his briefing of Vexen, as he knew Vexen would appreciate it, allowing him to get back to whatever he was doing.

"Splendid. Anything else I need to know?"

"Sora cleared the world of Heartless on his way to Maleficent. So the Keyhole's been sealed."

"Do you want me to reintroduce Heartless on the world?" Vexen asked.

"Not at this time. Wait for further orders. In addition to your base, a small lab is to be constructed as well, with the specific purpose of your work on the Nobody Spawners. I know it's futile to say to work solely on those, but it is of the essence they are completed as soon as possible."

"Of course, Superior."

"You are dismissed," Xemnas finished.

Vexen left the office and decided to go visit Lexaeus in his room. He hoped he would be able to flush out some more information about the overall mission from Lexaeus and get some insight on why he chose Neverland as a destination. Upon his arrival to the upper level though, he was greeted not by Lexaeus, but by the sight of Larxene standing menacingly over Xion. He took in the situation and understood it to be Larxene attempting to torture Xion.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Larxene told Xion, summoning her knives.

Although he felt he was incapable of such feelings, he had a sort of paternal feeling for Xion. After all, he had created her, and she was his prized pupil. Regardless of why he did so, Vexen decided to confront Larxene. "Must you always pick on someone smaller than you? I suppose that's the only way you can win a fight," Vexen started.

The Savage Nymph looked up at Vexen with disgust. "Oh look, here's Daddy Dearest to save the day. Please, old man, you're not worth my time."

"Silence," he fired back.

By this point, several members had heard the commotion from their room and were peaking out. Vexen saw Demyx, Xigbar, Luxord, Roxas, and Naminé all checking out the situation.

Larxene sighed. "Predictable response. Men without hearts are so boring."

Vexen laughed his high-pitched laugh. "As if you have such a heart to speak of yourself. You should learn to keep quiet."

"What are you going to doing about it?"

"Oh ho! So it's a fight you want? Very good, I shall take you on." With a flick of the wrist, Vexen summoned his shield, Frozen Pride.

The members, present, including Larxene, were shocked. Vexen was certainly not known for fighting. In fact, of those present, only Xigbar had ever seen Vexen fight. Roxas, Naminé, and Xion had never even seen Frozen Pride before.

Larxene grinned. She had dreamed about beating the up the presumptuous scientist, and now, she could actually do it. "You're going to regret that." She promptly threw a bolt of lighting at him.

The Chilly Academic easily blocked it with his shield. "Perhaps. We shall see." With that, he opened a Portal of Darkness and disappeared into it.

Larxene frantically looked around, searching for Vexen. "Running away?"

Vexen's obnoxious laugh echoed through the hallway. "You wish! I just chose a more suitable place for my skills. Come down the hall, Larxene."

Larxene obeyed and headed out of the bedroom hallway. This led her into the Grey Room. It was obviously a more spacious place, and with a few obstacles, such as couches and tables, made for a pretty good fighting space.

Xigbar looked to the other members and shrugged. "Free entertainment. Let's go have a looksies."

Larxene found Vexen standing in the middle of the Grey Room, smiling. "Excellent, I was beginning to think to that you weren't catching on."

"I'm going to murder you, you half-baked good for nothing!" she screamed and started charging at him.

"Poor choice." Vexen waved his hand and the floor turned to ice.

Immediately, Larxene slipped and went down. She tried to get up and fell again. Finally, she was able to get up, albeit slowly.

"Oh, did you think you'd be able to run at me? You imbecile!"

"When I get to you, you're going suffer!" She slowly started shuffling towards him.

"This is hysterical. I'm greatly enjoying myself." Vexen then began to levitate and "skate" around the ice room. "You're not going to catch me."

With a fierce yell, she threw her knives at Vexen. However, he was ready and blocked her knives with his shield. "And they thought I was foolish for choosing a shield. Well, what do you think now, Xigbar?"

"I'd say Sparky should play faster if she wants to get you," Xigbar answered.

Larxene got his drift and quickly teleported over to Vexen. She jabbed at him, but he was able to block it. Quickly teleporting behind him, she kept up the teleportation assault, which soon got Vexen off balance.

"There you go. Nice moves, sweetheart," Xigbar called out to Larxene.

Vexen was falling behind Larxene's attacks and knew that he wouldn't be able to keep up much longer. As such, a created a mist of ice that caused Larxene to back away. This ice tornado spun into a circle, consuming Vexen in a pillar of ice.

"That's all you got?" she cried out. Smirking, she called a massive bolt of lightning down upon the pillar, shattering it into thousands of pieces. But Vexen was not inside.

"Bad move," Xigbar muttered to Luxord.

"And now, I bid you adieu, Larxene," Vexen's voice called out. He now appeared on the other side of the Grey Room. She rushed at him, but he then teleported back to the other side of the room.

Before Larxene could react, she saw those sharp ice shards that she had created flying at her from where she had just been. They hit her and sent her flying, pinning her against the wall of the Grey Room.

Vexen wringed his hands. "My work here is done." He snapped his fingers and the floor return to its carpeted, iceless state. With a nod to the watching members, he created a Portal of Darkness and headed to his lab. He wasn't going to push his luck; Vexen knew well that nine times of out ten, Larxene would probably destroy him, and that a second encounter could prove fatal.

* * *

A "shocking" fight, huh? Sorry, even I'll admit that was a terrible joke.

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

On his way back to his bedroom, Axel was greeted by a series of unusual looks that prompted him to think something strange had just happened. He had thought it odd that Xion had refused to meet his eyes and only mumbled a quick greeting as she sped off. Seeing Xigbar chuckle at him only confirmed something was up. Upon seeing Luxord smirking, Axel finally decided to inquire about the situation. "What's going on?"

"You may perhaps wish to check the Grey Room. Your girlfriend is…on point, as it were," Luxord told him before going into his room.

"This should be interesting," said Axel and he headed into the Grey Room. There, he found his girlfriend pinned to the wall by ice shards. "Yep, definitely interesting. What happened to you?" he asked Larxene as he approached her.

"I got into a fight with that dumbass Vexen."

"You didn't win, I see."

"He caught me by surprise," she explained. "You going help me get down, asshole?"

"Woah! With language like that, love, I might just let you thaw out."

"No, don't! I'm already embarrassed enough," she complained.

"Hmm…is this what it's like to be you? Enjoying watching other people suffer? I might be able to get used to this…" he began.

"Axel!" she whined. "I'll do anything!"

"Anything? Well, in that case." Axel held his hands out and generated flames in each of his hands. The heat melted the ice, freeing Larxene from the wall.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"Anything for you, babe. Now how about something for me? You did say anything, and I won't be seeing you for a long time," he slyly began.

Larxene smiled. "Oh, you want to play, huh? Shall we go back to my room?"

"I don't think I can make it that long." Axel pulled Larxene's face into his and kissed her. Soon, they were passionately making out.

Larxene pulled away, and was able to get out, "Not in here, babe."

After a few more seconds of action, Axel conceded. "Fine, but let's go into the closet."

"The supply closet?" she asked as he kissed her neck.

"Why not? It's something new. Besides, then you won't have to show your face to the others."

"Ugh, fine. You're lucky I love you." Thus, they made their way (whilst making out) over to the supply closet located in the Grey Room, went in, and shut the door.

* * *

"21. Would you look at that?" Luxord announced to his henchman, Gambler.

"How? That's like three in a row! You're obviously cheating," the Gambler shot back.

"Me? Cheat? What a simply ridiculous notion. It appears Lady Luck is on my side, and nothing more."

"Yeah, okay. When do you go to get our orders?" Gambler assumed that as Luxord's henchman, he would be going with Luxord on his mission as well.

Luxord closed his eyes, obtaining a sense of what time it was. His power of control of time served him well, as he never needed clocks or watches to tell the time. He instinctively always knew. "Rather shortly. In fact, I should get Marluxia posthaste. I believe we have time for one more hand."

"Let me deal," said Gambler, and he took the cards out of Luxord's hand before a response could be given. The round was played, and "miraculously" Gambler had produced a 21 this time. "I thought so."

Luxord grinned. "I have no idea of what you are talking about." Although he never allowed himself to cheat (at least, noticeably) when playing against other members, he had no qualms in doing so with Gambler. Gambler, likewise, expected it and attempted to do so himself.

"When I return, I'll get in touch with you," Luxord stated. He then left his room and went next door. He knocked on Marluxia's door.

The Graceful Assassin answered the door. "Is it time for our briefing?"

"Indeed it is." The pair then headed out, passing through the Grey Room.

Luxord stopped abruptly, craning his head as if he was listening for something.

"Is something the matter?" Marluxia asked.

"I just thought I heard something. A moaning, perhaps?"

Marluxia craned his head to listen, and indeed he heard what he assumed to be a female moaning. The noise was coming from the closet, and Marluxia was rather certain he knew who it was. "I hear nothing."

"Very well then. Let's be off," Luxord replied. He headed on, with Marluxia following behind him.

"Stupid girl," Marluxia muttered, followed by a sigh.

Upon arriving at Saix's office, they were ushered in Xemnas' office immediately. "Ah, gentlemen, right on time. Please, take a seat," The Superior began. They obliged, allowing Xemnas to begin his briefing. "You have been assigned to the planet of Toontopia for your mission."

"Toontopia? I don't believe I am familiar with that planet," Luxord said.

"That does not surprise me. It is a rather insignificant planet, almost classified as a sub-planet of Disney Town. Its location is very near to Disney Town, which is why it was selected. The idea is that the taking of Toontopia as a base will allow easy access for an attack on Disney Town and thus eliminating The Mouse and his lackeys from interfering with our plans."

"Makes sense," Marluxia responded.

"Toontopia is ruled by Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Mickey's half-brother. It is a somewhat chaotic atmosphere full of cheerfulness and bright colors. The planet basically exists as one large city."

"Wonderful," a less than enthused Luxord answered.

"It is for this reason, that it is chaotic, which makes this planet ideal. You will be able to blend in rather easily, without really having to conceal yourself. No one should question your appearance or motives. The one thing that will make this tricky is that there is no field or jungle or open clearing for you to build a base. The planet is too small and compact for that. As such, you'll be forced to build the base right in the heart of the city. Fortunately, we have developed a plan for that. We have reached out and purchased a large building in the city. Instead of building a base, your team will be renovating the interior to work as a base."

"And you think that won't attract suspicion?" Luxord asked.

"That's what our intelligence has told us. But that will be part of your job: to ensure the locals are unaware of our true intentions."

"Very well. It will be difficult, but doable," Marluxia added. His tone, thought, clearly showed his hesitations to the plan.

Xemnas merely looked at Marluxia before turning to Luxord. "Gambler will be accompanying you on your trip, which should be beneficial. Are there any questions?" Upon seeing no response from either man, Xemnas pressed on. "There will be feast held tonight. Then, you will leave tomorrow morning. You are dismissed."

Luxord and Marluxia rose and left to return to their rooms. "Toontopia, eh? Should be a fascinating endeavor, don't you think? Luxord asked Marluxia.

"Perhaps." Marluxia did not seem at all interested in Toontopia or completing this mission. Luxord knew he would have his work cut out for him.

Arriving back at the Grey Room, the pair walked in just as Larxene was closing the supply closet door. Luxord noticed that her hair was disheveled. "Vexen really roughed you up, didn't he?" Luxord asked her.

Larxene was immediately startled at the presence of others. She feared she was caught, but then realized that Luxord hadn't caught on. "Oh…um…yeah," she replied.

"Looking for extra towels to dry off? Although you would think they might be there, you'd be mistaken. They're actually in a closet on the floor below us. Tomfoolery, I know, but that's how it goes. Gambler!" he commanded.

Gambler materialized in front of Luxord. "Yes?"

"Can you be as kind as to retrieve an extra towel for Larxene?"

"Oh Luxord, you don't need to…" Larxene began.

"It's no trouble at all. I'll meet you in the Library, Gambler, when you are finished." Gambler nodded and disappeared. "I'll doing some research on Toontopia in the Library," Luxord informed Marluxia. "I'll see you all later this evening." With that, he created a Portal of Darkness and disappeared.

Marluxia chuckled. "Looking for that extra towel or sneaking back to your room?" he asked the embarrassed Larxene.

She flushed. "Maybe."

"I won't ask about it, because I'd rather not know the details."

"How was your meeting?" she asked.

"I'm not enthralled by the planet. It sounds to be a hellhole of carnival atmosphere. But Luxord should be a fine partner."

"He's a good guy, always polite. And well intentioned. I like him too."

Then Gambler materialized, with a towel in hand. It was the standard Organization towel, being strictly white, with the exception of a single Nobody insignia in the bottom right corner. "There you are."

Larxene took it from Gambler. "Thanks," she grumbled.

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," Gambler noted.

Marluxia laughed, but Larxene was not amused. "Well don't get used to it! Now scram!" She hurled a bolt of lightning at him to prove her point. Gambler dove out of the way and then disappeared off to the Library.

* * *

A feast held in the Castle That Never Was was no small task. Normally, members ate whenever they wanted. Food was prepared, but a formal dinner was rarely held. Some members didn't even take the prepared food, choosing to have frozen food or packaged food. That decision usually depended on the laziness of the member.

But a feast was something entirely different. They were very rarely held, maybe five or six times a year. Preparing a full course meal for fifteen people was a daunting task, obviously. So whose job was it to prepare these glorious feasts? That task would fall to the top chef in the Organization: Xaldin. The Whirlwind Lancer was, in fact, an avid cook. It was, by and large, his favorite passion and hobby. While he didn't cook meals for the Organization every day, he was the Head Chef, so the lesser Nobody cooks answered to him on all matters of food.

While Xaldin was inclined to let the Nobody cooks to prepare a large portion of the meals at The Castle That Never Was, a feast was something reserved only to him. Xaldin saw feasts as the ultimate cooking challenge, and strove to outdo himself every time. Xaldin would not prepare feasts entirely by himself, though. He did allow one Nobody to aid him: his henchman, Dragoon. Dragoon had also inherited his master's love of cooking, and was somewhat proficient at it himself. The reason he was only somewhat proficient was due to one large deficiency that Dragoon had: he was illiterate.

The education of the lesser Nobodies varied. Some of them could read, but that number probably stood around sixty percent. The lesser Nobodies did not have any real need to read: they got their orders orally, and didn't have to think for themselves most of the time. Those who could read most likely retained that trait from their former self.

Dragoon was hopelessly illiterate, which could cause problems in the kitchen. He was gifted in cooking, but could not read a cookbook. Thus, he had to get instructions from Xaldin. Xaldin, of course, was busy and could not devote his whole attention to Dragoon and could not ensure that Dragoon had comprehended his instructions completely. Another problem for Dragoon was that his intellect was severely limited, (like most lesser Nobodies). This could make cooking with Dragoon quite difficult, but his sheer cooking talent made up for it.

This evening, an array of meats was being prepared, and Dragoon was tasked with the turkey. "Dragoon, you may flip the bird," Xaldin commanded.

Dragoon looked at Xaldin confused. Very hesitantly, he raised his middle finger to Xaldin.

"Dragoon! Not that kind, flip the turkey over!"

"Ah, that makes more sense," Dragoon answered as he completed his task.

"Where did you learn such a vulgar gesture?" Xaldin asked.

"Sniper," Dragoon sheepishly replied.

"Of course." Xigbar's henchman was known to swear like a sailor and gesture rudely, something undoubtedly picked up from his master. "I'll have to talk to Xigbar about that. You can put that turkey in the oven now."

Unlike several other members in the Organization, Xaldin was not frantically packing or having to do research. He wasn't going on any mission, instead being left behind to be a high-ranking member to contact if something went awry. The Superior was not easily contacted, so this duty fell to Xaldin. Instead, his only current worry was whether his soufflé would turn out or not.

* * *

Hey there everyone! Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! There's still time for you to be the first review of this work, and any reviews would be appreciated.

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

Although emotionless, Saïx did find some joy in the work that he did for the Organization. Assigning missions was usually droll for him, as it allowed him to know the important things going on in the Castle. But, there were times that mission assigning was a chore. And giving Demyx a mission usually lined up in the latter category. The Superior had asked Saïx to assign The Melodious Nocturne a very unusual and special mission, one that Saïx had protested.

"If I may say so, that's a horrible idea, Superior," Saïx retorted.

"Would you rather him go on a mission on another planet, where he could be spotted and his cover blown? By sending seven members out on long-term missions, we will have to rely on the other members to pick up the slack, meaning that he would have to go out more often," Xemnas reasoned. "Ergo, giving him this mission will keep him here in the Castle, where he can only cause minor mischief."

"But he doesn't take his missions seriously. There is no way that this will turn out well."

Xemnas laughed. "If he fails, it is a microscopic part of the master plan. We'll get along just fine, even if he fails. And if it works out, it would be a cherry on top."

Saïx sighed. "Very well, sir."

And that's how Saïx found himself standing in front of a door marked with "IX." Of course, you didn't need to know Demyx's number to discern which room was his. The loud music that tended to blare from the room gave it away rather easily. Saïx knocked on the door politely. He was not surprised to find that his knock was not answered. Rolling his eyes, he knocked again, louder and more direct. Yet again, there was no response.

Sighing, Saïx stepped away from the door and summoned his Claymore. Closing his eyes, in a truly calm before the storm moment, he breathed in deeply. Then, Saïx opened his eyes, rage now filling them. With a primordial roar, he smashed the door to pieces with his Claymore in a furious blitz. Breathing heavily, he calmed down and looked inside the room, which no longer had music playing.

Demyx's room looked very similar to a teenage wannabe rock star's room would look: dingy, poorly lit, half-eaten food lying around, music posters partially attached to the wall, etc. Demyx was currently sitting on his bed, with headphones on, looking terrified that his door had just been broken down.

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it!" he exclaimed with a look of defensiveness.

"I knocked twice and you didn't answer, so I took matters into my own hands. I have a special mission for you from the Superior himself."

"Oh no! I'm not getting sent somewhere to build a base am I? 'Cause I'm not smart enough for that!" Demyx whined.

"Duly noted. What the Superior wants from you is for you to create an anthem for the Organization. He wants you to create a song that is our calling card for when we take over."

"Like a theme song?"

"Somewhat. You know how planets have different anthems? He wants one for us."

"That'd be pretty rad. I bet I could lay down some pretty sick beats for this."

"Not exactly. There is a caveat," Saïx cautioned.

"Ooh! That's that expensive fish, right? I think Vexen said that's good brain food. Sweeto!"

Saïx sighed. "That's caviar. A caveat is a warning: he wants a formal anthem, not whatever hip-hop garbage that you autotune around with," Saïx explained.

"But I don't really do that sort of thing. Too boring."

"The alternative would be going on more missions. The Superior thought you could choose."

Demyx was, without question, the laziest member of the Organization, and did everything that he could to avoid having to do any work. Demyx thought about Saïx's proposal, and came to the realization that doing more missions would not be fun. "Oh, I see."

"This may be the only time ever that you'd be getting a mission that involves your musical 'talents.' I suggest you take it."

"Sure! I can make an anthem! It'll be something new for me."

"I had a feeling you would accept." Saïx turned and headed out of Demyx's room before turning around. "Don't fail or you'll have Xemnas to answer to." He took another step before turning around again. "Also, fix your door." Finally, he walked off.

Demyx gulped, understanding the implications of Saïx's statements. "I guess we're going to give classical music a try."

* * *

The Great Dining Hall was where feasts where held in the Castle, serving no other purpose than that. While that may point to the decadence of the Organization, the fact was simply that the Castle was large enough to afford a room only one purpose. A long table was in the center of the room, with fifteen places set up. Xemnas sat at the head of the table. Down his right side was, in numerical order, where members two through eight sat, with the rest in similar form on the left side.

Feasts were the only time where all of the members ate together, which always made the atmosphere interesting. Usually, an awkward silence hung like a blanket over the room as everyone ate. This was possibly due to the fact that this quality of food was normally not seen in the Castle, hence the ferocious eating. But more likely, this awkwardness was due to the fact that there were few topics anyone felt discussing as a group outside of business.

In addition to the assortment of meats that Xaldin had prepared, several vegetable dishes had been supplied as sides. A special lemonade was made for the event, as alcohol was never served at feasts. Xemnas had said this was because he wanted no one to feel left out, as the younger members couldn't drink, but the reasoning was probably due to his desire to not see his Organization get into a drunken stupor.

But that didn't stop everyone. Vexen turned to look at Luxord and nodded. At that moment, Luxord snapped his fingers and time stopped completely except for Vexen and Luxord. "Thank you. You're a lifesaver," Vexen told Luxord. He pulled out an icy flask for under the table and poured some vodka into his lemonade.

"Of course. Not that Xaldin's lemonade is bad, it just could use some kick," The Gambler of Fate replied. Vexen passed him the flask and Luxord spiked his drink as well. Vexen then put away the flask and Luxord snapped his fingers again, resuming time with no one the wiser.

Even if time hadn't frozen, Zexion would not have noticed anything different, as he was currently staring at Larxene. In classic Larxene fashion, she was not using the provided knife to eat her food, but was instead using her Fondre to eat the meat, which gave the illusion that she was eating like an animal with its claws. It probably didn't help that she was somewhat savage in her devouring of the meat, but Zexion was staring for an obviously different reason. He wasn't staring in horror, but rather, in a love-struck way.

Sitting next to him, Lexaeus realized this and sprung into action, not wanting anyone to see Zexion's staring, least of all Larxene. He elbowed Zexion to shake him from his trance. But an elbow from Lexaeus is quite a bit stronger than one from someone else. The sheer force from the elbow caused Zexion to lose his air and choke. As he wheezed, everyone turned to look at him. After regaining his breath, he explained. "I'm fine, choked on my food."

This satisfied everyone, as each went back to his or her meal. Zexion glared at Lexaeus, but Lexaeus merely shrugged and whispered, "You're welcome."

Xemnas looked up to Xaldin and commented on the meal. "This is excellent. Xaldin, you have really outdone yourself this time." Nods and mumbles of agreement came from the other members.

Xaldin nodded. "Good. It's not in my nature to hold back," he answered with a twinge of ferocity. Once again, silence ensued.

"Oh, I meant to ask a question," Marluxia interjected. "I was wondering if anyone was interested in taking care of the garden while I am gone for the mission." Another silence spawned. "It wouldn't be very hard. I'll leave instructions and everything. It's not that you'll have to do it alone. There will be a team of Dusks to help you." More silence continued, causing Marluxia to become more desperate in his plea. "Anyone?"

"I guess I could do it, Marluxia," Roxas finally answered.

"Anyone?" Marluxia repeated, pretending that he had not heard Roxas.

Raising his hand, "Yeah, I said I would do it," Roxas replied.

"Well, if no one wants to do it, that's fine. I'll just have my Dusks do it then."

"But I said…"

"My Dusks are more than capable," Marluxia continued.

"But…"

"Do you have ears, Roxas? Then use them! He said no," Vexen exclaimed. Many of the members were thinking the same sentiments, but didn't want to openly insult Roxas in front of the Superior. Vexen had no such qualms, being one of the most outspoken members of the Organization. However, he was relatively safe to make such statements due to his importance in the Organization, although no one wanted to admit that to him.

Vexen's remark once again silenced the room, with most members content to stare at their plates as they ate. After several more minutes of silence, Xaldin made an announcement. "It appears most of you are finished, so I shall call for desserts." He clapped his hands twice and Dragoon and other, lesser Dragoons entered the room carrying the desserts. The lesser ones brought in a variety of pies, while Dragoon brought a wonderful soufflé. "I must insist that everyone try the soufflé. I'm actually surprised how well it turned out. But don't worry if you don't like it, I guarantee you'll find a pie you like," he continued.

"Oh Xaldin, you spoil us," Xemnas commented.

"And don't worry, Superior, I have a Shaker Lemon Pie for you here as well, replied Xaldin, alluding to Xemnas' favorite type of pie.

Dessert, like anything Xaldin personally prepared, was excellent and after its completion, Xemnas made his dismissal announcement. "Thank you for the feast, Xaldin. It was greatly appreciated that you were able to prepare it on such short notice. To those of you with missions tomorrow, good luck. Remember, every day spent on your mission is a day closer to getting your hearts back. Dismissed."

As everyone left, Vexen and Zexion walked out together, giving their goodbyes.

"Good luck on your mission and the spawners. And whatever else you decided to come up with," said Zexion.

"Some vacation time in tropical weather should do me well, I imagine."

"Just don't get burned. That'd be ironic."

"I'd never hear the end of it from Axel," Vexen agreed. "Good luck with your mission and spending time with that vixen. Try to come back in one piece."

"I'll do my best." He smiled, but then imagined Vexen getting a box filled with pieces of sliced-up Zexion, turning his smile into a grimace. "It will definitely be interesting."

* * *

Hey there everyone! Sorry for the short chapter, but this is the last piece of the exposition before we get into the missions themselves. Also, super shoutout to v.t.7 for the awesome reviews! Thank you so much, it means a lot to me!

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!)

* * *

Axel couldn't remember the last time he had been up at six in the morning, but that was what this day had brought him. Due to Lothal being the farthest of the four planets away, Xigbar and Axel were the first to depart from the World That Never Was for their mission. The Flurry of Dancing Flames found Xigbar waiting for him at their ship.

"You look like shit. Too early?" Xigbar teased. Xigbar had gotten up with no trouble this morning, as he didn't sleep much anymore anyways.

"Good morning to you, too. Us young people actually need sleep, unlike you, old timer."

Xigbar laughed. "Alright, kid. Let's get going." Turning his head towards the ship, he called out, "How soon can we leave?"

A Dusk wearing a captain's hat came out of the ship. "We're almost ready, sir. Just waiting on Assassin," he said, referring to Axel's henchman.

"Like his master, I see," Xigbar commented.

"You say that as if Sniper isn't any different," Axel shot back.

"Touché."

Just then, Assassin came into view, running towards the ship. He arrived out of breath. "Sorry, boss. I overslept," he panted.

"I almost wish I did," Axel muttered.

"As if," Xigbar scoffed. "This is going to be a fun mission. We finally get to do something. No more sitting around."

"All aboard that's going aboard," the Captain Dusk cried out.

Xigbar, Axel, and Assassin obliged and boarded the vessel. "Ever been on a spaceship this big before?" The Freeshooter asked.

"Never been on a spaceship at all," Axel admitted.

"You're a Radiant Garden kid, so that makes sense. Probably never been out of this section of the galaxy before, huh?"

"Nope." Lea had indeed spent his entire life on Radiant Garden before becoming a Nobody.

"You will now. We're traveling two sectors away."

"And you've been to those sectors before?"

"I haven't spent much time in the first sector we'll be passing through. The big planet there is Earth, and some pretty powerful superpeople protects it. The Revengers? The A-Team? I can't remember the name. As for the other sector, I spent several years of my life there, believe it or not."

Axel noticed Xigbar's facial expressions when mentioning his time there. He definitely had memories, Axel was unsure if they were good or bad, but definitely strong memories. "Really? Is that why we didn't really have much of a briefing?"

"Bingo. The capital planet here is Coruscant, but we'll be traveling to the Outer Rim, where Lothal is."

"So have you been to Lothal?"

"Nah. But I've heard of it. It's…"

At that moment, a voice came through on the intercom. "We are ready to make the jump to light speed on your signal, Number Two," the Captain Dusk announced.

Axels smiled, prompting Xigbar to grumble, "I told them not call me that." Activating his comlink, he continued, "Then let's go to hyperspace." The ship lurched and Axel was amazed to see the ship zip into hyperspace through the window. "Still gets me all these years later. Pretty cool, huh?" Xigbar continued. Axel nodded his agreement. "Well, I'm going to go change into something more suitable for our mission. Staying in our cloaks would be suspicious and let's just say that people with cloaks like ours are often mistaken for something they're not." Xigbar chuckled darkly and took off his cloak, revealing the gray Mandalorian armor that he was wearing.

"Look at you, all dressed up fancy," a snarky Axel commented.

"Hey, I just want to fit in and not arouse suspicion and figured my old armor would suffice." He had lost his jetpack a long time ago, but with his ability to teleport, he had no real need for it. Going over to a box, Xigbar pulled out a helmet for his armor, featuring the traditional t-shaped visor. He put it on and then scanned the room right and left. Taking it off, he remarked, "I was never a big fan of wearing the helmet, to be honest."

"It looks pretty badass, though," said Axel.

Xigbar flashed Axel a grin. "That it does. I'm all set to go. What are you going to wear, Flamesilocks?"

"Hey man, I got nothing fancy like that. All I planned on doing was taking the coat off." He did so, revealing a mostly black wardrobe underneath. The only non-black element was a gray shirt he wore that was mostly covered by a black vest. He retained his Organization gloves and boots. "The ladies will be all over me."

Xigbar snickered. "As if!"

* * *

A little bit later in the day, Luxord and Marluxia left for Toontopia. Since there was no way to sneakily bring in a massive ship full of Nobodies, they had teleported on their own to the planet and had been given Vexen's first spawner for when they made it to their base.

"We lucked out that Vexen made this spawner collapsible and portable," Marluxia noted to Luxord right before they left. This would allow the pair to bring the spawner undetected into their building and set up shop from there. Their workers would then be spawned inside the building, so hopefully no one would notice them.

"Let's hope Lady Luck stays with us the rest of the way," Luxord responded. Gambler was not with the pair, as Luxord would fetch him with a Portal of Darkness once they made it inside the building.

Upon stepping out of the Portal of Darkness, the pair found themselves in the countryside, near a road. "Looks like we didn't land in the city," Luxord drawled.

"Wonderful," was Marluxia's succinct response.

"Well, lookie there boys, we got ourselves a pair of sorcerers here," a new voice called out. Marluxia and Luxord turned around to see five crows sitting on a fence. The crows were dressed in vests and hats. The crow that had spoken was also chomping on a cigar.

"Sorcerers? Those we are not," Luxord replied with a chuckle.

"Sorcerers, magicians, wizards, warlocks, whatever names you prefer, but that's what y'all are. Just appearing from nowhere. But that's not my business," the same crow, clearly the leader, continued.

"And look, they're human too!" a crow with glasses added.

"Human sorcerers. Well, I be done seen about everything now. We don't see much of your kind around here," said the head crow continued, eyeing them rather suspiciously.

"Excuse me, but could you tell us how to get to the city?" Marluxia asked politely.

"Sure thing, it's about seven miles that way," answered the head crow, pointing down the road. "Y'all should call a cab if you don't want to kill your feet."

"And how does one go about doing that?" Luxord chimed in.

The crows all snickered at the question. "Why, it's just how you think it is," the crow with glasses said. "You just whistle and yell for one!" The crows cackled again, amused at the perceived incompetence of these strangers. The crows then upped and flew away, their scornful laughter echoing.

"Okay…" Marluxia looked confused, but did as the crows said. "Taxi!" A few seconds of silence passed. He sighed. "Nothing. Well, that was real helpful."

Just then, a squealing of tires was heard and yellow cab with white tires pulled up right in front of the black-coated men. "Sorry about that, guys, but I had to swerve around Toad and his motorcar. That guy's a maniac and always on a wild ride. Name's Lenny, where can I take you two boys?"

Marluxia had look of concern on his face, trying to register the fact that this taxi had eyes, a mouth, and had just spoken to him. Luxord was also not expecting a driverless, anthropomorphic taxicab, but got over his shock quicker than his partner. "Ah, yes. We are heading to the McDuck Building, my good man."

"Sure, no problem. Hop in and I'll get ya there in a jiffy." The men did so and then Lenny spun around and took off at a rapid pace. As they traveled though the countryside and into the city, Marluxia and Luxord took in the vibrant sites they passed by. There seemed to be a lot of bright colors and a lot of things with faces, namely flowers and trees.

"Tell me, Lenny, does everything here talk?" Luxord questioned.

"Well, a lot more things than you guys must be used to. You're not from here, I can tell."

"You are correct. We're resettling here because we heard it's…very bright here."

"That's for sure! Don't worry, folks, only the living things talk. No buildings or food or anything crazy like that." Finally, Lenny pulled up to a tall, imposing looking building with a large dollar sign on top. "Alright guys, here you go. McDuck Tower. Course, he's selling the place and leaving shortly."

"We know. We're the new owners," Marluxia added.

"Well I'll be seeing you around then! Five E-Tickets is the total." Luxord paid Lenny with a ten E-Ticket. "Much obliged, fellars. And if ya see my cousin Benny, tell him I said hi."

"Will do." Luxord told the cab. As Lenny sped off, he turned to Marluxia, "Here we are. McDuck Tower."

At that moment, Scrooge McDuck walked out of the building and greeted the two gentlemen. Dressed in his typical top hat and brandishing his cane and pince-nez glasses, he certainly had the look of 'rich businessduck' down pat. "Ah, you two must be the lads that bought the Tower."

"That's us. I'm Luxord and this is my associate, Marluxia." He shook hands with the billionaire duck, with Marluxia following suit. "Thank you very much for selling us this magnificent property."

"The pleasure is all mine, gentlemen. I'm moving back to my home planet of Radiant Garden, so I won't be needing this spot. But you must excuse me, gentlemen, my flight leaves shortly, so I'll have to get going. The place is yours, lads. Best of luck."

"You as well," Luxord replied. With that, Scrooge McDuck walked off, leaving the two new owners standing in front of their skyscraper.

Marluxia walked forward and pulled open the door. "Time to begin."

* * *

About ten hours after their departure, Xigbar and Axel's starship arrived close to the Lothal system. "All right, pull us out of hyperspace now," Xigbar commanded into his comlink.

"But sir, we're not exactly there yet," the Captain Dusk responded over the intercom.

"There may be enemy ships in the area, so we're going to go in undetected. Pull us out of hyperspace and immediately activate the cloaking device." The ship was not massive, but it was holding around one hundred lesser Nobodies and building materials, which would puzzle any commander doing a scan of the ship. That could attract unwarranted attention, so Xigbar decided that it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Yes, sir," the Captain Dusk responded and did as he was told. The ship exited hyperspace and immediately became invisible to other vessel's radars. And it was not a moment too soon, as several vessels were sitting between the Nobody Ship and the planet.

Axel looked in amazement at the ships, which was several times larger than the ship they were on. "What are those?"

"Looks like Star Destroyers, although they're bigger than I remember. It means the Empire must still be alive and kicking," Xigbar answered.

"The Empire?"

"Yeah, they rule this section of the galaxy. Nasty guys, really. We don't want to mess with them at all. We'll have to avoid them at all costs if we plan on completing this mission."

"Sounds like you've dealt with them before," Axel conjectured.

"They had recently taken over back then. Must be even bigger now. Not sure why they're here though. Lothal is a pretty insignificant planet. Why blockade it?" mused Xigbar. He then activated his comlink. "Bring us in, but be careful not to do anything that might give us away."

"Should I go straight to the designated location or should I get us into the atmosphere first and then go?" the Captain Dusk asked.

Xigbar paused to think before answering, "Get us in the atmosphere. I don't like the look of this blockade." Turning to Axel, he continued, "There was nothing in the scouting report about a blockade or heavy Imperial presence. This mission may be harder than we thought. I've got a bad feeling about this, kid."

The next few minutes were rather tense, as everyone held their breath as the ship was lowered into the atmosphere. Silence continued as the decent continued. "Nothing on the radar," the Captain Dusk reported.

"Good," said Xigbar. "Look like we've made it undetected." Into his comlink, he continued, "Bring us in towards the target area. I think we're clear to land."

"Roger that," was the response.

After a few more minutes of flying, the ship slowly landed in a large open field, far away from any city. Axel was excited to see a new world, and immediately disembarked the ship. Greeting him was a small, mostly brown, cat-like creature. The cat also had a very large mouth and pointy ears. "Hello there, little guy," Axel began, leaning towards the cat with the intention of petting it. The creature suddenly turned fierce, flashing his teeth, growling menacingly, and scaring poor Axel. He quickly jumped away, hoping no one had seen the encounter. "Alright, not that friendly," he noted as the cat ran off.

"Loth-cats. Interesting little buggers aren't they?" the voice of Xigbar called out. He descended down the ship's ramp and joined Axel.

"Guess so."

"Well, we made it here in one piece. Now the hard part begins," said Xigbar, looking out to the horizon.

* * *

Hi there folks! And thus, the missions begin. Keep an eye out to see if you can catch all of the various Disney properties I incorporate in Toontopia as we go along! Thank you for your continued readership!

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

"Why do I have to carry this trunk onto the ship?" Creeper whined to Zexion as they walked towards their ship.

Zexion sighed. "If you really want to be my henchman, then you have to do henchman duties. And henchmen carry things for their master. That's just how it goes."

"Why?"

"I…don't know. That's just how it is. Now come on."

"And why didn't you just bring a suitcase?" Creeper asked, mercifully changing the subject.

"The chances of us finding humans in the Deep Jungle are very slim, but there are indeed some present. On the off chance that we do run into some, it is crucial that we fit in. And these people are not as technologically advanced as our society. They're about one hundred years behind or so, hence why I have brought a trunk instead of a suitcase," explained The Cloaked Schemer.

"Do you always talk this much?"

Zexion facepalmed in disgust. Looking up, he saw that Larxene was coming towards the pair, armed with two suitcases. "Load these, Creeper," she said with an air of indifference.

"Larxene, didn't you get my message last night about the need for trunks?" Zexion asked.

"Yup. Didn't like the idea, so I ignored it." She then continued walking and boarded the ship.

"See, she brought s-" Creeper began.

"Silence. Just get these all loaded," Zexion interrupted. He walked on the ship shaking his head in disappointment.

* * *

The trip to the Deep Jungle passed without any problems, and soon the ship had landed on a large clearing. The lesser Nobodies had begun unloading their building materials, as there was no time to waste. A smaller crew was putting up a series of large tents that would serve as home for everyone. Zexion and Larxene got their own tents, of course.

When his was set up, Zexion went into his tent to change. The Deep Jungle was, as its name suggested, a jungle planet, so the climate was very warm and humid. Long black coats would definitely not be ideal for this planet. Zexion exited his tent wearing what can only be described as the stereotypical jungle explorer outfit, complete with pith helmet.

Larxene saw him and immediately started laughing at him. "What are you wearing? You look ridiculous!" she shrieked.

"Since we are in a jungle environment, I decided that my outfit should reflect the environment. If this is what people wear in the jungle, then that's what I'll wear."

"Yeah, but you look like a complete moron."

"What, then, do you plan on wearing? You'll die of heatstroke in that black coat," he pointed out.

"Then I guess I'll have to take it off." She smirked and took off her coat, much to Zexion's surprise. She was now dressed in a black sports bra and booty shorts, and retained her long Organization boots and gloves. "You shouldn't stare," she finally said and then chuckled at him. She threw her coat at Zexion and walked off into her tent.

Zexion stood gaping, staring at where Larxene was when Creeper came up to him. "Um, sir?" he asked. Upon getting no response, he called more forcefully, "Sir?" Frustrated at Zexion's lack of response, he hit Zexion in the stomach.

"What was that for?" he seethed, his trance now broken.

Creeper rolled his eyes. "I literally called for you twice. Lexaeus is calling, wanting a status report."

"Yes, of course." The pair headed to the spaceship, where they found Lexaeus on the big screen.

"Zexion, glad to see you made it. No problems?" The Taciturn Stalwart asked.

"Everything's been good so far. The trip was fine and our landing spot was cleared like you said, so no problems," Zexion told Lexaeus.

"Excellent. I won't hold you any longer; I have to check in on some of the others. Good luck with the mission and don't do anything stupid."

"Me? Do something stupid? Unlikely."

"Very well, Romeo. Lexaeus out." The screen then went blank, leaving Zexion unable to get in a comeback.

"Romeo? I thought your name was Zexion?" a confused Creeper remarked.

Zexion sighed. "It is. Go make sure that construction begins immediately, I want work in before the sun sets." Creeper nodded and ran off to "supervise" the construction to the best of his (limited) ability. Zexion strode off the ship and found Larxene waiting for him.

"Someone called?" she inquired.

"It was Lexaeus, wanting to make sure that we got in okay."

"Got ya. I'm bored, let's go exploring," she suggested while picking at a nail.

"Exploring? For what, exactly?" Zexion asked.

"I don't know, anything! If we're going to be on this hellhole for several weeks and have nothing to do, I'm going to go crazy!" she exclaimed while making exasperated hand gestures.

Not wanting to find out what self-described "crazy" Larxene was in contrast to regular Larxene, Zexion decided some exploring would be in order. "Very well. But I'm going with you."

"Gonna protect me from the big snakes and the scary jungle?" she cooed at him.

He smirked. "Quite the contrary. I'll be joining you to make sure you don't do anything that might jeopardize the mission."

"Hmph," she sneered at him, but seemed to be fine with him coming.

Zexion went to his tent and retrieved a machete. "This should help things out a bit."

"Oh yes, now I feel much safer," she leered at him.

They ventured from their cleared spot into the thick jungle, with Zexion arbitrarily slicing at assorted vines. They passed this way for several minutes in silence, until Zexion decided to initiate conversation. "So…uh…are you excited for the mission now that we're here?"

"Meh…it sounds like it's going to be boring, just sitting here waiting."

"I suppose so. Are you…going to miss Axel?" he probed.

"I'd say that's none of your business," she snapped.

Zexion mentally cursed himself, but quickly recovered. "Sorry! I thought that since we're going to spending the next several weeks together, we could try to get to know each and be slightly cordial," he added in exasperation.

That silenced Larxene. She realized she had no reason to snap at Zexion, whom she didn't know very well. Larxene didn't have many friends in the Organization, and was used to be antagonistic with many of them. However, she never really had any interactions with Zexion. Due to his closeness to Vexen, whom she despised, she assumed she wouldn't like Zexion, but he did have a point that they should try to get along. The pair continued on in silence for another few minutes until she began again. "I mean, kind of."

"Kind of what?" Zexion asked, confused.

"I'll kind of miss him."

Zexion smiled. "I suppose that's normal. Although…" He was interrupted by a loud growl. He grimaced. "I hope that's your stomach."

"Not mine. We're not alone." She drew her Foundre, scanning her eyes around her surroundings. Suddenly, a large cat leaped from its cover at Larxene. She expertly dove out of the way, avoiding the cat's attack.

Zexion, meanwhile, stood gaping at the cat. "It appears to be a black jaguar."

"No shit!" she yelled while dodging and chasing the cat. She and the jaguar circled each other, preparing to strike. She lunged at the cat, but he avoided her.

The cat then turned his attention to Zexion, who was now looking in his Book of Retribution. The jaguar sprinted at Zexion, who was too engaged in his book to see the cat coming.

"Zexion!" Larxene cried out. He turned his head far too late, when the cat was nearly upon. The cat lunged and pounced on Zexion ferociously. Larxene closed her eyes, not wanting to see the mauling of Zexion.

However, the great cat was stunned to find out that it had flown straight though Zexion, hitting the tree located directly behind him instead, while Zexion continued flipping through his book.

Larxene opened her eyes to see what had happened, and was shocked to the cat dazed, having hit the tree. The cat stumbled away, clearly unsure of what had happened either, but knew that it was time to flee. "Zexion?" she called out, looking for an explanation.

"Right here," the voice of Zexion called out. He then stepped out from behind the very tree the cat had hit, positioning him directly next to the reading Zexion. He snapped his fingers, making the fake disappear. "I do control illusions, Larxene. They can be put to good use on many occasions. Were you worried about my well-being?" he asked, a smug smile forming on his lips.

Larxene's face immediately scowled. "I hate you. You lucked out this time, that cat was dangerous."

"And will probably return. We best be careful as we move forward," he said as he rejoined her.

"Also, use your machete next time," she added.

"You're the one that's supposed to be sufficient with blades, not me." She punched him in the arm. "Aggh! What was that for?"

"For tricking me," was all she answered. She then continued on forwards.

Zexion stood there, rubbing his arm for a few seconds. With a grin on his face, he followed her. He almost ran into her, as she had suddenly stopped.

Now standing in front of the pair was a tan-skinned, muscular man with long brown hair worn in dreadlocks. And to top it off, he was wearing only a loincloth. This man had just dropped down in front of Larxene from the trees.

"Umm…hello?" she greeted the mysterious man.

"Sheeta here?" the strange fellow asked.

"Sheeta?" Larxene asked, looking confused.

"Sheeta big black cat."

"I think he means that panther that attacked us," Zexion explained to Larxene. Turning to the man, he continued, "Yes. Sheeta was here, but he fled."

The man nodded. "Tarzan," he announced, pointing to himself.

"Tarzan. Interesting name," Zexion noted. But before he could say anything else, Tarzan dashed off, leaving the two alone again.

"So much for not getting spotted," Larxene retorted.

"But this Tarzan fellow is fascinating. He doesn't appear to be fully civilized. I would most like to study his…"

"Literally, don't care, Zexion. Not in the slightest," Larxene interrupted. "Although, I wouldn't mind studying his anatomy. Perhaps we should study him," she replied, with a leer on her face.

Zexion was not amused. "Larxene, may I remind you that we're…"

"Relax, bookboy. I'm just messing with you. We should probably get a move on, so this 'Sheeta' doesn't come back," she added, waving her hand dismissively.

At that moment, a woman with long, dark brown hair and blue eyes stepped into view. She was clothed in a white (although heavily faded) tanktop and a long brown sarong and appeared to be looking for someone. "Tarzan? Oh Tarzan, where are you?" Her eyes soon set upon Zexion and Larxene. "Oh! Hello there," she greeted, a look of surprise on her face.

Larxene and Zexion looked at each other, unsure what to do. Zexion decided to take action and stepped towards the woman. "Hello there, miss. It appears that we have gotten lost in this jungle," he explained.

"I understand, as it can happen very easily. I'm Jane Porter, here with a gorilla exploration team. How about you? Are you here to study the gorillas?"

Zexion opened his mouth, but had nothing ready to say, as his brain scrambled for an answer. Fortunately, Larxene saved him by cutting in. "Our ship crashed here, and now we're standing on the planet," she answered.

"A ship? Like a spaceship made of those gummi blocks?"

Zexion quickly understood that the only way Jane would know of gummi ships was because she must have interacted with Sora. "That's correct," he replied, going with her reasoning.

"Wait a minute. A boy with spikey hair and a girl…do you know Sora?" Jane asked.

Zexion immediately answered before Larxene could reply. "Why yes, we do!"

"You must be the friends that he was looking for, Riku and Kairi?" she exclaimed.

Zexion feigned surprise. "That's right! You know Sora?"

"Oh yes, he's been here before looking for you guys. Oh, this is wonderful that you're here. He stops by every now and then, and now you can be reunited when he returns next. Since you have no place to live, you must come back to camp with me."

"That's quite alright, Miss Porter…" Zexion began.

Jane laughed. "Please, call me Jane. And I insist! Any friends of Sora's are friends of ours."

Just then, Tarzan returned. "Sheeta gone. We safe."

"There you are, Tarzan. These are Sora's friends, Riku and Kairi."

"We've met already," Zexion explained. "Right after Sheeta attacked us. Fortunately, we ended up fine."

"Oh dear! Well in that case, you must come back with us. It's not safe out here. Besides, the more, the merrier. Do make yourself at home."

"Very well. Your hospitality is very generous," Zexion answered, a false grin upon his face.

"Right this way then." Jane and Tarzan headed off towards the camp, with a reluctant Zexion and Larxene following.

"Nice going," Larxene whispered to Zexion.

"It's not my fault. You're the one that wanted to go exploring," he hissed at her.

"What are we going to do?"

"We'll just have to go with it for now. But remember, you're Kairi now and I'm Riku. Our cover isn't broken if they don't know our true identities."

"And if Sora shows up?"

"We'll deal with that later. Cheer up, Larxene. These folks are more civilized than the Nobodies. You'll be less bored."

"I guess that's true. And we can always portal back to our base at night or other times to check up on the progress."

"Precisely. And on top of that, I can study this primitive man and the gorillas that they're studying," he continued excitedly.

She shook her head and sighed. "You're bananas, you know that?"

* * *

Hey everyone! If you guys are having half as much fun reading this as I am writing it, then we're both in great shape! As always, feel free to review 'cause I'd love to hear from you!

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty awesome!)

* * *

As soon as Vexen's ship touched ground in the Neverland Jungle, he knew that the mission would be far more vacation-oriented than work-oriented. The island was a tropical land, but unlike the Deep Jungle, the nearby ocean provided a cool breeze, mitigating any oppressive heat. The designated building location was on the coast, meaning Vexen would be able to fully enjoy the ocean locale as well as the jungle.

Upon getting off the ship, Vexen and his crew immediately got to work in preparing their base. The base was to be built closer to the jungle, while Vexen's residence was to be nearer to the great Never Sea. Vexen's home was not in need of constructing, as he had brought a portable home, developed in his lab for just such an occasion. Placing a rectangular metal object no larger than a deck of cards on the ground, he then pressed the Nobody Insignia button on it, starting up the piece. The rectangle continued to unfold itself exponentially, until a floor-like base was erected. Once the base of the home was complete, a wall started to build. As this process continued, a small cottage was formed, complete with proper furniture inside. "Positively excellent. I am a genius," he crowed.

"Most certainly," Dusk, who had just walked up by Vexen, agreed.

"Now let's set up the laboratory. But first, I need to change. I'll melt if I stay in my coat." Going to the spaceship, he grabbed his bag and went into his cottage.

Dusk immediately got to work, calling out instructions to the Nobodies that were unloading materials from the ship. After a couple minutes of this, he turned to the cottage, where he saw his master coming out. But Dusk had to do a double take to determine that it was him. His master was dressed in flip-flops, and very short, nude colored, shorts that caused Dusk to briefly question if Vexen was wearing any pants at all. To top it all off, he was wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt decorated with snowflakes.

"So what do you think?" Vexen asked Dusk. "Is it me?"

"More than you can imagine," Dusk retorted.

"Alright, let's get to work on this outdoor lab." Dusk and Vexen then went ahead and set up the lab. The lab was then constructed under a large canopy tent, as Vexen wanted to spend some more time outdoors to "get his fresh air for the year" in his words. By the time the lab was completed, it was nearly evening time. Vexen allowed the other Nobodies to stop construction on the base for the night, and they had returned to the ship.

Vexen had wanted to see the sunset, so he was standing on the beach right behind his home with Dusk, martini in hand. "Isn't it lovely, Dusk?" he asked.

"Indeed, sir. Very pretty," Dusk answered while Vexen took a sip from his martini.

"Hi there!" a new voice rang out.

Vexen choked on his drink and did a spit-take. "Who was that?" he sputtered. Looking towards the sea, he saw a young girl waving to him not too far from his location.

The girl had long, flowing black that had light streaks of purple, a flower in her hair, seashell earrings, and a rose tank top on. She gave a wave to Vexen and Dusk and swam over towards them.

"Is that…a little girl?" a concerned Vexen asked. Dusk shrugged, having no clue either. Finally, the little girl made it close to the pair. "Isn't it a little late for you to be swimming out here all alone?" Vexen asked the stranger.

She giggled. "Of course not! It's always a good time to be swimming! I'm always swimming."

"Always?" asked Dusk.

"Well, duh. That's what mermaids do."

"I beg your pardon?" replied Vexen, flashing Dusk a confused look. "You're a mermaid?"

"Yep!" She then jumped out of the water, showing off her green mermaid tail, leaving Vexen and Dusk agape. "My name's Marina, what's yours?" Her cheerfulness seemed to be just as unlimited as her energy.

"I'm…Even and this is…"

"Um…Earl," Dusk managed to get out.

"Even and Earl, huh? Double 'E's!"

"Indeed. Now, Marina, are…" Vexen began.

At that moment, an orange starfish came out of the water, surprising Vexen into silence. The starfish whispered into Marina's ear, and her eyes grew wide. "Sandy told me that Mom's looking for me 'cause it's almost bedtime. Nice meeting you, Double 'E's! Gotta go!" And with that, Sandy the Starfish and Marina dove underwater.

Vexen turned to Dusk. "Well, I'll be damned. A mermaid, here."

"Let's hope she doesn't get our cover blown."

"I'm not too worried about that." Vexen turned to head back to the cottage, followed by Dusk. "Earl? What sort of a name is that?"

"It was the first name that came to my mind!"

* * *

Roxas looked up in awe at the large statues that stood intimidatingly before him. Although he had ventured to the Olympus Coliseum multiple times, those heroic gladiators still gave him chills every time. There was nothing he strove for more than to be a real hero. Often ridiculed by other members of the Organization, he wanted to prove to everyone that he could be a hero and well respected.

To Xion, the Olympus Coliseum represented competition and intensity, both things that Xion was very fond of. Xion endeavored to prove her worth to the Organization by becoming better than everyone else. Thus, she always loved a mission at the Coliseum, as it allowed her to show her strength.

The two of them had been sent to the Coliseum on a simple Collect Hearts mission. Due to the seemingly endless numbers of Heartless that competed in the Games, the Coliseum was a popular place for this type of mission. In their case, it helped that both of them were acquainted with Philoctetes, the famous satyr who had trained Hercules. The Organization had allowed these two to appear as prospective trainees for Phil, so they had no need to be secretive about their movements on the planet.

"What do you think Phil's got in store for us this time?" Roxas asked.

"Meh. Probably some useless training and some more of his rules," Xion replied.

Normally, Roxas and Xion went on missions to the Coliseum independently, so Phil never had the two at the same time. In an attempt to keep the charade that Xion and Roxas did not know each other, Roxas headed in first.

Roxas found Phil standing on ladder, posting up a list on the wall of the Vestibule. "Roxas, long time no see! You're just in time. Got a new tournament right here, and there's one spot left. Let's get you in this one and see what you can do," the old satyr said.

"Yeah, I think that'd be cool."

"Competition looks to be pretty stiff. I don't where there they keep pulling these bozos out from," Phil grumbled. "It's important that…"

At that moment, Xion came into the Vestibule. "Hey there Phil! Got anything exciting for me?"

"Xion! Good to see ya, kid!"

"Who's this?" she asked, indicating Roxas.

"This is Roxas, another competitor. You two seem to share the same fashion style and weapon choice," said Phil, noting the black coats that the both had been wearing. "I'm surprised you haven't run into each other earlier."

"As am I," Xion responded, eyeing Roxas suspiciously, which was enough for Phil to believe they hadn't met before now.

"Well kids, I happen to have a new tournament here. But there's only one spot open and two of you. I got an idea, though. Since you both haven't trained in a long time, we'll kill two birds with one stone." Both Roxas and Xion groaned at the prospect of going through another one of Phil's training regiments. "Here's the deal: I'll set up identical barrel courses. Whoever destroys all of their barrels first gets the tournament slot. Seem fair?"

"I think so," Xion answered for the both of them.

Phil proceeded to bring Xion and Roxas into the arena, where he then worked on setting up identical barrel formations.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an upper-level suite, the competitors were being watched. The Lord of the Dead himself, Hades, was in his box with his minions, Pain and Panic. The trio had been observing the training sessions the various other competitors of the upcoming tournament (all Heartless brigades supplied by Hades).

"Well boys, I think we've got a good crop this time," Hades told his minions. He rose out of his chair preparing to return to the Underworld until he saw Phil, Roxas, and Xion enter the arena. "What do we have here?"

"It looks like some new competitors, your lugubriousness," answered Pain.

Hades facepalmed. "I know!" he responded in frustration.

Pain looked to Panic. "Isn't that what he asked?" Panic shook his head, indirectly telling Pain to drop the subject.

As Phil set up the barrels, Roxas and Xion warmed up, drawing their Keyblades and swinging them around. "Keyblades?! This just got interesting," Hades remarked. Summoning himself a worm martini, he settled into his chair. "Let's watch a bit, shall we?"

After finishing the set up, Phil came back to address the participants. "All right, here are the rules: when I say go, it's a race to destroy all of your barrels first. You may use any means necessary. Whoever wins gets the last slot," he announced, fortunately loud enough for Hades to hear what was going to occur. Roxas and Xion nodded their approval. "On your marks, get set…go!"

Roxas immediately went to work. Not one who did a whole lot of strategizing for a battle, he simply moved on instinct, destroying barrels left and right as he saw them. Sometimes, this forced him to have to run a bit to another barrel, but he still was going through the course with great speed.

Xion tended to be more strategic about her attacks at the barrels. This would have made her slower than Roxas, but she was innately faster than him, put them at about equal footing. She zipped along, striking barrels quickly, keeping up with Roxas' torrent pace.

"This is getting good," Hades commented while watching the action unfold.

It soon became clear that the competition would come down to the very end and who could move quickly enough to take out that last barrel. As Xion approached the final barrels, she internally debated how to eliminate the last single barrel, which was the farthest barrel away from the pack. Roxas, meanwhile, was just focusing on hitting any and every barrel he could, not planning on how he intended to take out the last barrel. His powerful swings were sending barrels flying, and soon, one barrel was flying towards that far away barrel. Xion froze, unsure how to take care of her last barrel, unknowing how close Roxas was. The second or two pause was followed by her decision to cast a Fire spell at the barrel. However, as soon as she cast it, she heard Phil call out "Done!"

She turned to see that Roxas' barrels were all gone. The pure force and speed of the other barrel Roxas had hit was enough to destroy the final barrel right before Xion cast her spell. In essence, her indecision cost her the competition.

"Roxas wins narrowly! You guys match up well, though," Phil noted.

"Congratulations Roxas!" Xion cheered, masking her true emotions. But Hades was able to see through her and notice her disappointment.

"This could be the opportunity I'm looking for. Hello, Miss Blackbird," Hades commented, followed by a dark chuckle.

* * *

"Alright Roxas, come with me. We'll get you signed up. Xion, I'm sorry, but I can't make any more spots in the tournament. Next time, kid." Phil then headed back for the Vestibule.

Roxas and Xion followed together, but a bit behind. "You did really well," she told him.

"Thanks, I'm just sorry that both of us can't compete," he responded.

"Well, I know how to make it up to me."

"How's that?"

"How about you win the tournament for me? Oh, also chocolate."

Roxas laughed. "I'll see what I can do."

"I'll wait for you by the Gates," she told him. They entered the Vestibule and Xion continued though the room, putting herself back outside. She walked towards the large leaderboards, until a voice stopped her.

"Such a shame. You were this close."

She wheeled around to see Hades standing there, smiling at her. "Who are you?"

"Name's Hades, Lord of the Dead, hi how ya doing? Let me guess, you want to enter the tournament, right?"

Xion was suspicious of the stranger, but did answer, "Yeah."

"Well, then, hey, get a load of this. I just heard that one of the competitors just dropped out. Who'd of thought?"

"That's impossible, Hades. I just spoke to Phil."

"Lord Hades. Worked a long time for that title. And I wouldn't be so sure. Accidents happen."

Not getting his drift, Xion asked, "What do you mean?"

"Okay kiddo, here's the deal: I'll get you in the tournament, just like you wanted."

"And what do you want in return? My soul?"

Hades laughed. "Funny, I like that. No, not your soul. All I want is you to give me a good show. Very innocent."

"I doubt that immensely," she scoffed at him.

"Hey, you want in the tournament or not?"

Xion thought about it. "Fine."

"Good." Hades snapped his fingers. "There, done. A spot just opened up."

Xion looked around, nothing had happened. "Are you sure?"

"Wait for it. 3, 2, 1…" Hades disappeared at the same time Roxas and Phil rushed out the door.

"Hey Xion! Good news! Just got news that one of the competitors just dropped out. Said his team got sick and won't be ready. You in?" exclaimed Phil.

Xion smiled. "Of course!"

Roxas was beaming with happiness. "Then let's have Phil sign you up too!" Phil and Roxas then returned into the Vestibule.

Hades reappeared. "I don't know how you did that, but thank you," Xion told him.

"No problem. Good luck, kid. I'm pulling for you, my little blackbird." She started to head towards the Vestibule, but Hades stopped her. "One more thing. Let's keep this our little secret, huh?"

"You got it." Xion then headed in.

Pain and Panic appeared next to Hades. "You're just going to let her in for nothing?" Panic asked, shocked that his master, notorious for deal making, was seemingly getting nothing out of this deal.

"It's a process, boys. And I like this first step."

* * *

Hey everyone! We get to see the return of Vexen and Roxas this chapter, and it's always fun to write about them. Next chapter: The State of Affairs in Toontopia.

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

Marluxia grabbed his morning coffee and went to look out of his office window. A couple of weeks had passed since he and Luxord had arrived on Toontopia. Marluxia has chosen the highest office in the building, located on the top floor, as his personal living area. It was a spacious room, probably where Scrooge's office was. Marluxia had turned half of it into a greenhouse, giving it a very homey feel. Outside his office window, he had a great view of the city. He opened his window to get some fresh air in his office, when he heard a commotion nearby.

The building next door was Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated, and frequently had strange noises emanating from the building. Marluxia looked over and saw a fedora-wearing platypus flying away from the building on a hang glider while he heard a voice cry out, "Curse you, Perry the Platypus!" Marluxia turned away, missing the explosion that took place at Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated.

"Just another day at the office," Marluxia bemoaned. He'd been bored stiff since arriving, rarely leaving the building for anything. In order to make a convincing decoy, Luxord had decided to make the building the home of a fledgling detective agency. Of course, as expected, no one had stopped in, and it was hoped that it would remain that way. Marluxia, however, wanted no part of the escapade, and had spent the better part of his time in his upper-level retreat, brooding. And with Larxene on a mission as well, he couldn't simply contact her without knowing if she was in the middle of something critically important to the mission.

"Perhaps some reading will do." Opening his laptop on his desk, he opened up the Organization Research Extension (ORE). Created by Zexion with help from Vexen, this was a large database that contained most of the Organization's records. Information on any and everything relevant to the Organization was located there, making it very helpful for research. He clicked through a few pages, hoping to find something of interest to him. Finally, his eyes came upon a page he decided he was interesting in perusing. "Keyblade, huh? Worth a read, I'd say."

* * *

Gambler was at his desk near the entrance of the tower. The former receptionist desk was his area, basically to serve as a watchman, in case anyone came into the building. Currently, he was reading Toontopia's leading newspaper, the _Disney Daily Times_. The only part of the newspaper that interested him was the sports section. Gambler, as expected, enjoyed on betting on games, and had already found himself a casino in Toontopia to meet his needs.

He was so engrossed in his newspaper that he didn't see a woman walk in. She coughed, attempting to attain his attention. Gambler looked up to see a tall, voluptuous woman with long, bright red hair.

"Some kind of receptionist you are," she began. "Is the detective in?"

Gambler was thrown off-guard by her question, perhaps because of her appearance or perhaps because he had forgotten about the detective charade Luxord had initiated. "Detective?"

"Yes. Is this not a detective's office?" the woman shot back in exasperation.

Finally, things clicked for Gambler. "Oh yes, let me see." He picked up his phone and dialed the appropriate number to Luxord's office. "Hey boss, you have a client here to see you."

"A client? What do you mean?" a confused Luxord asked.

"A young lady is here to see you, Detective," Gambler replied, putting emphasis on the word 'detective' to provide a hint.

Luxord got Gambler's hint. "I see well, um…send her in. We'll see how it goes." He then hung up the phone.

"The Detective will see you now. Follow me, Miss," Gambler instructed her, leading her into Luxord's office, which was fortunately on the first floor, not too far from Gambler's desk.

Luxord was, luckily for him, already dressed for the occasion. Not a fan of the black coat he usually had to wear, he had shed it in favor of a casual coat and tie look, something he was far more comfortable in. A knock on his door confirmed his client was here. "Come in," he announced. Gambler led the woman in and then left.

The woman had quite the hourglass figure, and was wearing a red, strapless (and revealing) dress with matching stilettos. In addition, she wore purple opera gloves and gold earrings. Her side bangs were covering her right eye (not unlike Zexion) and very red, full lips. Quickly getting over her appearance, Luxord greeted her. "Good evening, I'm Detective Luxord Kingsly, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss…"

"Rabbit. Jessica Rabbit."

"And what can I assist you with, Miss Rabbit?"

"I think my husband has gone missing, and I need your help in finding him." Her demeanor remained cool, though Luxord sensed the urgency of her words.

"You think he's missing?"

"He hasn't been home in two days, which isn't like him at all. I think someone's taken him," she explained.

"And what brought you here, instead of the police?"

"Chief O'Hara's a real bulldog. Not a fan. Besides, the detectives there are mice," she explained.

"Oh, timid and meek? Not great qualities for a detective."

"No, they're actually mice. Bernard and Bianca. And the only other private detective in town, Basil of Baker Street, is also a mouse."

Luxord nodded. "I was unaware that I needed to be a mouse to be a detective." That drew a chuckle from Jessica. "Let's see what we can do. Do you have any idea where you husband may be?" Luxord felt that that was a detective-esque question to ask. He had absolutely zero detective experience, but thought it'd be a fun fake profession. Marluxia had been against the idea, on the principle that someone might think he was actually a detective. Luxord knew Marluxia would greatly enjoy this fate that had befallen Luxord, so he decided it was the honorable thing to do to try and ride this job out.

"Actually, I think I do. I heard from a waiter friend of mine that he heard Br'er Fox talking to someone about having kidnapped a rabbit."

Luxord realized that the Rabbit in her name was not just a name; her husband must actually be a rabbit. Remembering he was in Toontopia, he considered it to be a convincing answer. "You have? Then why haven't you done anything?"

"I need a big, strong man to come with me," she answered seductively.

Luxord cleared his throat. "Well, um…, I'm not sure if I fit…"

"I'll do anything to get my husband back. Please help me find him."

Whether it was his sense of honor or his pity for Jessica, Luxord relented. "All right, so where does this Br'er Fox reside?"

"He owns the Sporting Goods store."

"Perfect. I'll go check it out tonight."

"I'm coming with you," she added.

"Now hold on, Miss Rabbit…"

"Call me Jessica," she purred.

"Jessica, it's too dangerous for you to come with me," Luxord explained. Luxord had no doubt that he could retrieve the rabbit using his special abilities, but obviously preferred that no one saw them.

"My husband's life could be on the line. I'm coming with." Her steely eyes told Luxord there was no way he was fighting this.

He sighed. "Fine. I'll meet you there at midnight."

"Midnight?"

"The store will be closed then, allowing us to break in and take a look around."

"Okay, I'll be there." With that, Jessica sauntered out of the office, leaving Luxord alone in his office.

* * *

A few minutes before midnight, Luxord found himself standing outside of Br'er Fox's store, Chickapin Supplies. He looked into the windows, but the store was dark. He could only read what was written on the window, _Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah Prices!_ "What does that even mean?!" Luxord asked himself. He turned back to the streets, dark and mostly empty at this time of night, with only streetlamps providing any light. Sensing people nearby, he stepped in close to the building, blending into the darkness. A husband and wife, each walking a Dalmatian, were passing by on the other side of the street. Luxord watched them intently, realizing that the Dalmatians were also mated. His thoughts drifted to that of his past life…

But he was interrupted by the arrival of Jessica. "I had hoped that you would chicken out," he said.

"Good to see you too," she shot back. "How are we going to get in?"

"I've got a plan. I'm going to break in, and then I'll come get you at the front door here."

"And how you do you plan on doing that, hotshot?"

"Wait here." With that, Luxord walked all the way around the building to the backside of the building. Making sure Jessica hadn't followed him, he then opened up a Portal of Darkness, teleporting himself inside of the building, right behind the cash register counter. Now safely inside, he walked up to the very front of the store, where he pushed opened the main doors, letting Jessica in.

"Not bad," was Jessica's only comment.

"I've got my moments," Luxord replied. They explored the shop for a few minutes, and Luxord grabbed a machete for himself. "Just in case," he explained to her. Soon, the pair found a door leading downstairs to a basement. As Luxord carefully opened the door, they heard voices and saw a light coming from somewhere down there.

"This must be where they're keeping Roger," said Jessica.

"Perhaps. We must take caution." The two headed down the stairs very carefully, and when they made it to the last step, peered around a wall, checking out the situation.

"Well now, Br'er Rabbit, maybe I'll just have to roast ya," Br'er Fox taunted. He was addressing Br'er Rabbit, who was tied up over a fire pit in the ground like a spit. Br'er Bear was standing nearby, watching Br'er Rabbit turn the spit.

Luxord and Jessica retracted their heads, returning to their hidden position. "Br'er Rabbit?" Luxord whispered.

"That's definitely not my husband," she whispered back.

"Well, then our work here is done," Luxord joked.

She elbowed him. "There's still a crime going on!"

"I'll say there is. A fire pit like that in a basement like this is exceptionally tacky. Redecorating is a must." This comment elicited another elbow from Jessica. "I'm sorry, that was a bad one. What's the plan?" When he heard no response, he turned to her, only to see that she had pulled a large mallet out of seemingly nowhere.

"Never leave home without it," she replied with a smirk, leaving Luxord's impending question unanswered.

"I bet you wish you'd never been born, huh Br'er Rabbit? Well you mine, you mine! And you're not getting away this time!" the voice of Br'er Fox continued.

"Oh, what are you doing, Br'er Fox? Let me go!" Br'er Rabbit's voice pleaded.

"Here goes nothing," Luxord stated and then turned around the corner and into the room. "Stop, you rascals!"

Br'er Fox turned in surprise to see the owner of the new voice. "And who are you?"

Considering that he was holding an axe and was a fox, he looked quite menacing.

"I'd rather we just skip the formalities," Luxord replied, and rushed at Br'er Fox. Machete and axe connected, signaling that a fight was on.

Br'er Bear, meanwhile, was still trying to comprehend the situation at hand, something that took a while in his small mind.

"Br'er Bear, do something!" Br'er Fox yelled.

"Oh, okay. I'm gonna knock his head clean off," Br'er Bear announced started to move towards Luxord and Br'er Fox.

However, Jessica had snuck up behind him. "This is going to hurt you a lot more than it's going to hurt me," she softly stated. With one solid thwack to the head, Br'er Bear went down, knocked out cold.

"Oh yeah, get it girl!" the still tied up Br'er Rabbit called out.

Seeing Jessica and a knocked out Br'er Bear, Br'er Fox realized that his best option was to flee. "I'll get you yet!" he called out to Br'er Rabbit as he scampered into something labeled 'Emergency Tunnel,' disappearing.

"I'd say that went rather well," Luxord noted. He then went over to Br'er Rabbit and freed him from his ropes.

"Thank y'all very much. Much obliged for helping me out!" he thanked them.

"No problem at all, my good rabbit."

* * *

Luxord and Jessica were walking on the streets of Toontopia, after leaving Br'er Fox's lair. "You were pretty good in the field there, Jessica."

"You weren't so bad yourself. A little reckless, but that's men for you."

"I think I'll take that as a compliment," he said, which drew a laugh from her. After several seconds of silence, Luxord struck a more serious tone. "I'm sorry we didn't find your husband."

"So am I. Now we're back to square one."

"I can assure that I will do everything in my power to find him. Even if I have to tear this whole planet apart."

She nodded. "Thanks."

And they continued walking in silence.

* * *

Hey there everyone! This was a fun chapter to write, especially with all of the little references I tried to put in. Next time we'll go back to Lothal and see how Xigbar and Axel are doing!

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

"It's been a long time since I drove one of these," Xigbar commented to Axel. They were traveling in to the heart of Capital City, where most residents of Lothal resided, in a black landspeeder.

"It's a pretty sweet ride," Axel said.

They were on a simple supply run, to get some food for their squadron as well as themselves. Although the pair had been on Lothal for a couple weeks now, this was the first time they were heading into Capital City, as their initial provisions had ran out.

"Parking's always a hassle. You can never seem to find any parking spots in cities like these," noted Xigbar. Regardless, he pulled the landspeeder into a very small lot, where he found a single open spot.

"It says 'For Imperial Use Only'," Axel said, reading the sign in front of the spot.

"Meh. We'll be fine." But as soon as they got out of the landspeeder, a stormtrooper made his way over and approached them. "Morning, trooper. Is something wrong?" Xigbar asked.

"That parking spot requires a permit. I'll need to see your identification."

"You don't need to see my identification," said Xigbar waving his hand (full of credit chips) in front of the trooper's face.

Taking the chips from Xigbar's hand, the trooper said, "I don't need to see your identification. You may go about your business." With that, he turned and walked off.

"That was lucky!" Axel exclaimed. "Suppose he didn't take it?"

"You must never underestimate the power of greed. Now, off to the marketplace."

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived to the city center, where the marketplace set up shop. Axel wasn't used to seeing this many people swarming the streets. The Capital City marketplace was a busy locale indeed, with multiple species of creatures attempting to sell their goods.

"Anything and everything you could ever want to buy is here in this marketplace. The trouble is finding where it is," Xigbar told Axel as they walked through the street.

"It's…quite exotic."

"You've probably never seen nonhumans before, huh kid?"

Axel shook his head. "Nope."

"It's good for you. Gives you better perspective on humans. Makes you realize that…" he stopped, his attention stolen by some graffiti on a wall.

"What's that?"

"That's a starbird. Haven't seen one of those since…well, it's been a long time," Xigbar replied.

Axel decided not to press the subject, although he could tell there was more to the story. They walked in silence for a few seconds, Axel unsure what to say to change the subject. He was spared, however, because a commotion in the marketplace began.

"Stop right there! Get back here rebel scum!" voices called out. Two stormtroopers were chasing a tan-skinned, dark blue haired, teenage boy, who was weaving in and out through the throngs of people in his attempt to escape.

"Up for some fun?" Xigbar asked with a grin.

"I don't think that's a good…" But Xigbar had already chased after the troopers and the kid. "…idea. And he's gone." Shaking his head, he followed Xigbar.

As Xigbar ran after the troopers, he pulled out his arrowgun and fired at the trailing stormtrooper's leg. The shot connected and the trooper went down, rolling and crashing into a market stall. "One to go."

The boy continued his zigzagging and looked back to see that there was now only one trooper following him. Thinking that he could just outrun the trooper, he turned into an alley that he thought connected to another. However, he found that the alley led nowhere, a dead end. "Karabast," he complained.

The trooper arrived to the alley. "I've got you now, rebel! Put your hands in the air," he commanded to the boy.

"Not on my watch." Xigbar had arrived into the alley and fired again. This set off a rapid-fire chain of events. First, the shot connected with the trooper's head and he dropped.

At that moment, a new figure, wearing a pink Mandalorian helmet, dropped from the rooftop into the alley, behind Xigbar. Believing the boy was in danger, the person called out. "I got ya, Ezra!" and fired a stun shot at Xigbar.

"Wait!" the boy called out but it was too late. The stun shot hit Xigbar and he went down.

Meanwhile, finally arriving to the alleyway was Axel, huffing and puffing. He arrived in time to see the pink-helmeted person take down Xigbar and that was enough for him. "Oh hell nah," he announced as he summoned his chakrams. He then jumped into the air and threw one at the pink-helmeted person. She had no time to avoid them, and it connected with her helmet, knocking her out.

"Hold on! This is just a big misunderstanding!" the boy called out to Axel.

Xigbar groaned, and started to stir. "Thought I'd never have to get hit by a stun shot again. Reminds me of the good old days." He rose, seeing Axel and Ezra standing over him. "Well, what's the situation here, boys?"

"Sir, I'm so sorry that my friend attacked you. She thought you were attacking me," the boy explained.

"Eh, that makes sense. Looks like my friend did the same thing. What's your name, kid?"

"Ezra Bridger."

"A pleasure to meet you, Ezra. I'm Xigbar and this is Axel. Didn't mean any harm, just wanted to stick it to the stormtroopers."

"Well, I'm sure glad you did, otherwise I would have been in serious trouble," Ezra commented.

"So what did you steal?" Axel asked. "I assume that's why they were chasing a street rat like you." Axel noticed the two scars on Ezra's left cheek and wondered where he acquired them.

"Not exactly. I'm…um…" Ezra began.

"Say no more, kid. I'd rather you just say it's classified that have you spout some stupid lie to me," Xigbar interrupted.

"Thank you." Ezra gave a sheepish grin.

"But your friend here, she won't be getting up for a while. Unless you got a transport, not sure how you're going to get her back to wherever you need to go," Xigbar pointed out.

"Actually, we should have a vehicle." He activated his comlink on his wrist. "Hey, Chopper, we're going to need a quick getaway." Noise of "womps" could be heard in reply whenever Ezra talked. "You had to leave the ship?...So the stormtroopers took the speeder?...Towed it because it had no driver?...Well, you stay hidden and we'll be in touch." Turning to Xigbar, he said, "Looks like we may be in need of your assistance," with an embarrassed look on his face.

"No problem, kid. Flamesilocks, you've got that one," Xigbar announced, pointing to the felled pink-helmeted warrior.

"Her name's Sabine," Ezra added.

"Why me? You're just as capable of carrying the girl as I am," Axel complained.

"Yeah, but I didn't knock her out. Now let's go," Xigbar shot back.

"Some thanks for saving your life," Axel grumbled, but slung the girl over his shoulder and followed Xigbar and Ezra.

A half-hour later, the group found themselves back at Xigbar's landspeeder. Chopper was there waiting for them, having been instructed where to meet everyone.

"So you're the sassy droid?" Xigbar said to Chopper.

"Womp womp!" was the reply (to pretty much any statement) from the orange astromech.

"I like your style," Xigbar replied. "So where are we off to?" he asked Ezra.

"We're currently laying low in an abandoned building on the outskirts of town."

"Then that's where we'll go," Xigbar replied.

"Somehow, I have a bad feeling about this," Axel added.

* * *

Meanwhile, high above the atmosphere of Lothal, an Imperial Star Destroyer was all a buzz. The _Relentless_ , helmed by Admiral Kassius Konstantine, was awaiting the arrival of a very important visitor. As Xigbar had noted, a blockade was being set up around Lothal, and it was all due in part to the visitor who was arriving. Admiral Konstantine was waiting in the hanger bay for the arrival of the visitor when an officer approached him.

"Sir, I have news regarding the Lothal Rebels," the office began.

"I hope it's good news," the Admiral responded back sharply.

"Somewhat, sir. It appears that one of the rebels had a run in with some of our patrol troopers in the marketplace."

"In the marketplace? I thought we saw their ship leave a week ago," he mused. "Unless, they left some behind. This could end up working to our advantage. Thank you, officer." The officer, sensing he was dismissed, then left, leaving Konstantine to mull over the intel.

However, he didn't have long to do so. At that moment, a large Imperial shuttle entered the hanger and landed. Konstantine straightened up and made sure that his uniform was in proper order before walking over to the shuttle. He took a deep breath and waited for the shuttle's walkway to lower. With a hiss, the shuttle door and ramp opened, and an ominous breathing sound was heard. Through a mist of smoke, Darth Vader descended the ramp, meeting Konstantine.

"Good afternoon, Lord Vader. I trust your journey went well." The presence of Lord Vader always made Konstantine uncomfortable, but then again, he was hardly alone in feeling that.

"What is the status of our operation?" Vader asked, moving straight to the matter of his visit.

"An attack is ready, but we believe that we will have an even easier time in getting the rebel cell to return than we initially thought." Vader had arrived to command an attack on Lothal. This unprovoked attack was designed to force the Lothal Rebels to return to their home planet and thus, set them up for extermination or capture.

"And why is that?" Vader asked.

"I have just received intel that one of the rebels was spotted recently in the marketplace. That means that at least one of the rebels is already on the planet and didn't leave with their ship a week ago."

"Excellent. Now they will be forced to come back to save their friend. Put out an announcement saying that the attack will only occur if the current rebels hiding on the planet are not surrendered. We will squeeze Lothal until someone reveals the whereabouts of these traitors." With that, Vader turned away from the Admiral and walked off.

* * *

Back at the landspeeder, casual conversation had come up on the way to the building currently serving as the current hideout for Ezra's squad.

"So, are there any more of your team at this base we're taking you to?" Xigbar asked.

"Not currently. The rest of our crew are on a mission elsewhere. We're supposed to hang here until they return," Ezra explained.

"Aren't you guys a little young to be hiding her alone?" Axel asked from the backseat. He had been relegated to sitting back there, as he had Sabine's unconscious body draped over him, with her head resting on his lap. Chopper was in the back as well.

"No! We've been fighting the Empire for over a year now," was Ezra's defensive response.

"Okay, okay, you don't need to get snippy about it," Axel replied.

At that moment, Sabine started to stir, finally regaining consciousness. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was lying on the lap of some strange man traveling in a landspeeder. Since she was still wearing her helmet, Axel had not noticed that she was awake and paid no attention to her. Using this to her advantage. She threw a punch right into Axel's stomach and then scrambled to the other seat in the back.

Hearing the commotion, Ezra turned his head and tried to get the situation under control. "Sabine, stop! These guys saved me from the stormtroopers," he explained.

Groaning after taking that hit, Axel added, "I probably deserved that after knocking you out, but geez, you punch hard, lady." That elicited a laugh from Chopper, causing Axel to shoot him a dirty look.

Ignoring Axel, she scolded Ezra. "I was right there to save you. We didn't need their help and I don't trust strangers as easily as you."

Turning back to look at her, Xigbar chimed in, "Hey, if I wasn't there, there wouldn't have been anything left of Ezra to save. Name's Xigbar, and the one you hit is Axel."

She took off her helmet, revealing her short, (varying shades of) blue hair and brown eyes. "I'm Sabine. Thank you for helping Ezra out, but you must understand that it's very difficult to just trust you guys completely. Our…cause cannot afford mistakes in trust."

"Understandable. We'll just drop you off at your base and then be out of your life forever," Axel replied. He did not want to get any more involved with these two, sensing they would complicate his own mission severely.

"Fine. That is, if gramps here can drive. I thought you're not supposed to keep only one eye on the road," she retorted.

Xigbar laughed. "She's a feisty one, isn't she? You're all right by me, kid. As a matter of fact, we're turning onto Lucas Street. Your place should be…" But Xigbar didn't finish his sentence, as he saw their base, or what was left of it, anyways. The place was swarmed by Imperial stormtroopers and was in the process of being burned to the ground.

"They found it," Sabine said in horror.

"Hey, relax, no problem, we'll get you out of here." Xigbar then spun the landspeeder around and turned on a different street. "So the Empire found your base, right? You're still fine, because they may have just stumbled on it. I doubt they're actively looking for it."

Just then, a booming voice went through the area, projected by speakers all over Capital City. "Attention Citizens. This is Admiral Konstantine. Some of the notorious Lothal Rebels have been spotted in the city. We have discovered and destroyed their base, which means they will now be on the run. As a citizen, it is your job to provide the Empire with any information on their whereabouts. Failure to do so or sheltering these rebels is a treasonous act and you will pay dearly. If no one comes forward with information in the next 72 hours, the Empire will burn this city to the ground in our attempts to find them. Rebels: turn your selves in or watch your city burn. That is all."

"Well, I'd say you may want to reconsider spending some time with us," Axel quipped.

"Can you get us to safety?" Sabine asked.

Xigbar chuckled. "I think we might know a place."

* * *

Hey everybody,

We're entering a busy time of year for me, so I'll do my best to keep updating in a timely manner, but updates won't come as fast and furious as before. On the plus side, at least my city is not being threatened to be burned down by the Empire! Anyways, thanks to all of you who have been reading/following/reviewing the piece!

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

Zexion stretched out, letting off a big yawn as he got out of his bed. Well, calling it a bed would be pretty generous; it was a straw mattress at best, but it was certainly better than nothing. Zexion walked out of his tent into the morning light. He had always been an early riser, so it wasn't unusual to see that he was the only one up and about the campsite. In fact, he was pleased that no one else was up, as this would allow him to contact Creeper. He looked to his watch, and twisted the crown. This changed the watch's interface completely, turning from a rustic looking watch to a state of the art one. Pressing a few screens allowed him to contact Creeper.

After a few seconds, the face of Creeper filled the watch. Creeper was squinting and mumbling to himself. "Is this thing on?" he questioned, craning his head to the side.

"Yes, Creeper, it's on," replied Zexion in a quieter tone.

"Master! You're not dead!" Creeper squealed with excitement.

"Hush, Creeper. There are sleeping people nearby."

"Sorry," Creeper responded softer. "What happened to you and Larxene? I sent out a search party, but they couldn't find you. I was about to contact Lexaeus soon."

"We ran into some inhabitants of the planet and they insisted we stay with them. So it looks we'll be spending some significant time away from the base, stuck here with them. That's fine, as long as progress on the base continues."

"You can count on me, master! So far, everything's going according to plan."

"That's good." Zexion then sensed a scent was getting closer to him, so he assumed someone else had awoken. "Don't contact me. I'll contact you for updates. Have to go."

"Wait, I have something…"

Zexion ended the conversation before Creeper could finish. He turned in time to see Jane exit her tent. "Good morning, Miss Porter."

"You as well, Riku. Are you normally up this early?" she asked.

"Indeed I am. Never was one to sleep in that late," he replied. "And you?"

She sighed. "I'm not one to sleep in late either, but even this is early for me."

"I hope I didn't wake you."

Jane laughed, and then said, "Of course not. I'm just worried about Daddy. He came with us on this expedition and is out on an exploring mission with two others. I had thought that he would have returned by now. I hope nothing has happened to him."

"Well, perhaps if he doesn't return in a few days, Kairi and I can go out and search for him."

"I'm sure Tarzan would go with you," Jane added.

"Very good." It was at this point he noticed the book in her hand. "What are you reading?"

" _Pygmalion_ by George Bernard Shaw."

A grin appeared on his face. "Ah, a classic."

"You've read it before?" Jane asked. "It's a new book and I just managed to get a copy before our expedition."

Zexion realized that he had slipped up in keeping to the time period. "Oh no, I meant Ovid's Pygmalion. I assume this work is based on that somehow?"

"It is. I'm rather impressed that you know your literature so well."

That comment caused Zexion to smirk. "It's sort of a hobby of mine."

"How delightful. I'd love to have someone to talk to about literature. Tarzan's…not there yet. I'm going to go get some tea going. Would you like some?"

"That would be most enjoyable." He watched her walk off, absorbed in his own thoughts. He pondered over what would happen to Jane and Tarzan when the planet was destroyed. With there being no great place to put them, Jane and Tarzan would most likely have to remain on the planet as it was destroyed. "Can I let that happen in good conscious?" he mumbled aloud to himself. Just then, he felt a quick pang in his chest. "How strange."

* * *

"I think Tarzan should go with you. You would be safer that way," Jane told Zexion and Larxene. Tarzan only grunted in return.

"I'm sure that would be the case, but then you would be left unprotected. I'm sure we'll be fine. You must remember that we've spent several days in the jungle," Zexion reminded Jane.

Jane sighed. "You're right. Just be safe."

"We will," Larxene chimed in.

With that, Larxene and Zexion headed out of camp and back into the jungle. They had told Jane and Tarzan they were heading to their makeshift encampment to obtain their supplies and personal effects.

"That should have bought us some time," Zexion told Larxene.

"Hope so. If we have to stay with these people, I'm going to need my stuff."

As soon as the pair felt the were out of sight from the camp, Zexion opened up a Portal of Darkness, putting the two back at their Nobody Base.

"Home, sweet home," Larxene remarked in an unimpressed tone.

"I wanted to ask you about something, Larxene," Zexion began. "Earlier today, I felt something. I felt a…"

"Master!" the voice of Creeper called out. He ran right up to Zexion and engulfed him in large hug, which, of course, was only up to Zexion's waist.

Larxene laughed. "Look how happy he is to see you," she cooed. Zexion blushed, and brushed Creeper off.

"I'm also excited to see you too, Mistress!"

"If you try to hug me, I'll fry you," she shot back.

That elicited a chuckle from Zexion. "Yes, yes. We're back to check in on how things are going here and to pick up some items for our stay in the camp. Our cover isn't quite blown, but we're going to have to spend some significant time there."

"You can count on me to get the job done, boss!" Creeper crowed. "Uh, master, there's something else I need to tell you," his tone changing to a more nervous one.

Zexion looked to Creeper inquisitively. "And what's that?"

"Well, we had an intruder at the base here…"

"An intruder? And you didn't tell me?" Zexion fumed.

"I tried to sir, but you cut me off! He stumbled in here last night and we were forced to restrain him. Follow me." Zexion and Larxene followed him into the ship.

"This is not good," Larxene hissed to Zexion.

"I know," he replied back sharply.

In the interior of the ship, Creeper led them to the cockpit, where a shorter, older man was tied to a chair, his mouth gagged with a sock.

"Wait, is that my sock?" Larxene interjected.

Ignoring Larxene, Creeper went on, "I think he got lost and accidentally came upon our base. He had a rifle. Shot and killed a Dusk before we were able to restrain him."

Dressed in similar clothing to Zexion and sporting a fluffy white mustache, Zexion had a good guess who the captive was. "You're Jane's dad!" The man shook his head fervently. Zexion faceplamed. "This is going to be problematic."

Larxene zapped Creeper with some lightning. "What was that for?" he whined.

She shrugged. "You took my sock."

* * *

"Are you really sure you want to do this? Xaldin's probably not going be too happy about this, and I enjoy living. I mean, we could just kill the old man. Everyone here's going to die anyways, right?" Larxene asked Zexion as they headed into the ship's control room.

"That's not the right way to do this. This can be taken care of very easily." He pressed a button on the console in front of the big screen, initiating a call to the World That Never Was.

Shortly after, the face of Xaldin greeted them. He was sitting on a couch in the Grey Room. There was a constant background noise that sounded like musical experimentation. "Zexion, what can I do for you?"

"You assume this isn't a social call," Zexion replied.

"Is it?" After no response from Zexion, Xaldin went on. "I thought so. So what's up?"

"An inhabitant of the world stumbled upon our base. We're going to need Naminé for a quick mind wipe."

Xaldin nodded. "Very well. I'll retrieve her."

"You're not upset?" Zexion asked, surprised at this pleasant turn of events.

"Can you hear this attack on my ears? Demyx is trying to write an anthem for the Organization and it's driving me insane. I wouldn't mind a little time away from that. Also, I can pick up some tropical fruits. They'll be fresher at your location. We'll be there shortly." With that, Xaldin ended the message.

Naminé, being purer than the other members to her unique Nobody status, was unable to create Portals of Darkness on her own. Thus, in order to send her to places, she had to be accompanied by another member who could make a Portal of Darkness.

The pair left the ship and Zexion went over to Creeper. "So how is the base coming along?"

"I mean, it's only been one day, master, but the measurements have been drawn out, so we hope to begin actual construction within the next day or so."

"Very good." Zexion hated to admit it, but Creeper seemed to be very capable in handling the situation. And he seemed to work well with Zexion.

A Portal of Darkness opened, and out stepped Xaldin and Naminé. "I'm going to go take some of your construction crew and have them climb some trees for me to grab some fruit," Xaldin began nonchalantly.

"This I have to see," Larxene added and followed Xaldin.

"Okay then," Zexion replied, a confused look upon his face. "If you would come with me, Naminé." He led her into the ship and to Jane's dad. "So this man stumbled in our camp. I'll need you to wipe his mind of the encounter."

"I should be able to do that," Naminé replied.

"There's something else you should know and Xaldin cannot know about this. Two other humans have spotted Larxene and I, and we're going to live with them. So I also need you to put some false memories in to make things smoother. It needs to be that we ran into him on the way back to camp. Can you do that?"

"It'll take a little longer, but I can do it. What's in it for me?" she asked.

"My undying gratitude."

"And?"

Zexion laughed. While Xion and Vexen had a sort of special relationship, Zexion had always found himself fonder of Naminé's presence. Their relationship was more of an older brother-sister than the father-daughter type seen with Vexen and Xion. Perhaps he saw something of himself in her quieter, shyer personality. She also spent a good deal of time in the Library, either reading or drawing. Because of their relationship, she was able to extract more from Zexion in her demands, as she would have far too meek to even ask for anything from any other member. "Fine. I'll let you draw me when I get back from this mission."

"Good. Then we have a deal, and my lips are sealed," she answered with a smile.

"I'll leave you to get to work then." Zexion turned and headed off the ship. As he got off, he saw two Dusks carrying a third Dusk on a stretcher away. "What happened to him?" he asked aloud.

Creeper, seemingly out of nowhere, had appeared next to him. "Fell out of the tree trying to get some bananas for Xaldin." Zexion looked at Creeper, not persuaded. "Can't make this stuff up, master."

Larxene walked up to the two. "As much as I enjoyed watching Nobodies fall from trees trying to get fruit for Xaldin, I figured it'd be ideal to get all of my things packed up for our trip back to camp."

Zexion smirked. "Wonderful. Creeper, what I need is for you to retrieve my trunk. Fortunately, I brought it, huh, since we ended up being stuck with early 20th century people?" he said, directing his comment towards Larxene.

Larxene's face scowled at the realization that she had nothing to hold her things, as her suitcases would arouse suspicion.

"You got it, master." Larxene then summoned a mini bolt of lightning. Sensing it was meant for him, Creeper quickly shape shifted into his winged creature form and flew into the air. This was a good decision, as Larxene indeed through the bolt at Creeper, but it missed as he air dodged it. Not risking getting hit any further, he flew off towards Zexion's tent.

Zexion turned to Larxene. "You probably shouldn't do that."

"I know. I would have rather hit you with it," she replied with a smirk.

"About that trunk…"

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead and gloat," she grumbled.

"Actually, what I was going to say is that…I brought another one for you."

Surprise came over Larxene's face. "You...you did?"

"Yes. I had a sneaking suspicion that you might not bring one."

"That was…very nice of you. Thank you," she answered with honest sincerity. The moment of vulnerability passed as she spotted the two Dusks returning from dropping off their fallen comrade. "You two!" she barked at them. "Come with me, I need helping moving some of my stuff and you imbeciles will be perfect." They followed her off towards her tent.

Zexion sighed. "She's perfect."

* * *

Hey everybody,

I'm back with a bang! I again apologize for the delay, but I'm happy I was able to get this chapter put together, as it introduces a few major elements. Hope you're enjoying the story! Next time, we'll check in with Vexen and see what's new on Neverland.

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

Vexen and Dusk were soaking up some of the Neverland sun, lying in lounge chairs. Both were wearing sunglasses (even though they looked pretty strange on Dusk) and were sipping from tropical drinks. "I tell you Dusk, this is the life. We've been living in the underground life of the lab too much," Vexen started.

"Yeah, but the weather is still awful on the World That Never Was. It's always lightly raining outside and there is no sun," Dusk pointed out.

"Point taken." Dusk and Vexen set down their drinks and grabbed their tanning reflectors. "Remind me that we should take little vacations to places with sun more often. I even think I'm starting to get a tan."

Dusk, meanwhile, was fumbling with his tanning reflector, struggling to put it in the perfect position. "Easy for you to say. My skin is literally white! I don't think us Nobodies can even get a tan."

"Let's call it a scientific experiment then." Dusk and Vexen laughed, clearly enjoying their free time on this mission.

Just then, though, they both heard a cry of "Smee, help me! Smee!" from a new voice.

"What in the blazes was that?" Vexen asked.

"Let's go investigate," Dusk replied.

The pair headed out towards the ocean, where they found the source of the noise. A man with long, black hair was being chased through the water by a crocodile. His clothes were tattered as he was swimming as fast as possible to try to get away from the crocodile. A small dinghy with a short, portly man was trying to catch up to the man, but with no luck so far.

"How strange," Dusk commented.

"Indeed. Let's help the man out, shall we? Over here!" Vexen called out to the man. Vexen and Dusk started waving to get the attention of the man in question.

The man saw them and started swimming towards them. The man nearly made it to land, but then tripped and fell as he was running in the shallow area. It seemed that the crocodile was just about to reach the man when Vexen intervened. He shot an icy mist at the crocodile, encasing it a large block of ice.

The man looked back, seeing the crocodile coated in the ice and then turned to look back at Vexen, a bit confused as to what had happened. Dusk went over and extended his hand (tentacle? Arm thing?) to the man, who took it and got up. He then went over to Vexen.

"Thank you very much, sir. I thought the crocodile was finally going to get me." The man extended his right hand to shake, and it was then that Vexen saw that he had no left hand, but instead a metal hook.

"Of course. In a tropical location like this, he won't stay that way for long. You should get out of here as soon as possible," replied Vexen.

"I agree. Smee will bring me back to the ship in the dinghy. Would you care to tag along? I'd love to properly thank you with a nice bottle of rum."

Vexen was prepared to decline the invitation until he heard there would be rum. Never wanting to pass up some free alcohol, he acquiesced. "That sounds lovely!"

It was at this point that the dinghy had arrived to the shore. The short man stepped out of the boat and ran over to the hook-handed man and Vexen. "Oh Cap'n, you're okay! And old Tick-Tock is frozen solid!"

"Aye, Mr. Smee, this man here saved me from certain death. And what is your name, my good man?"

"Even. And my friend over there is Earl."

"A pleasure to meet you, Even. I'm James Hook, captain of the Jolly Roger and the most feared man in Neverland. This is Mr. Smee, my first mate. Prepare to set off, Smee, we are bringing these two back with us to properly repay them."

"Aye, Captain."

* * *

It was not very long until Vexen and Dusk found themselves in Captain Hook's cabin, with Smee pouring them some rum.

"I must admit, Even, that I'm not exactly surprised at your appearance. It seems that several world travelers have been stopping by here in Neverland recently."

"World travelers?" Vexen asked.

"Aye. Those who can travel to other worlds in the galaxy. I would know, I'm one myself."

Seeing that there was no need to deny this fact, considered Hook himself was one, Vexen admitted a version of the truth. "You are correct. I'm traveling with Earl."

"Are you a Heartless?" Hook asked Dusk. "You seem to be more intelligent than a Heartless." He looked over Dusk curiously.

Dusk was unsure how to answer this question without having to explain about Nobodies. "No, I'm not. Just a regular alien."

Hoping to dissuade Hook from inquiring further, Vexen asked, "How do you know about Heartless?"

"I used to command a crew on Heartless on me ship. I worked with Maleficent. Traveled to Hollow Bastion several times to meet with her. This vessel can travel through space, you know." Vexen smiled a bitter smile, recognizing the new name of his dilapidated former home world. "I lost me crew, though, when that brat, Sora, and the King's lackeys teamed up with that cursed Peter Pan to defeat me. But I have hope that Maleficent will be able to deal with them."

"From what I've heard, she was killed by Sora," Vexen commented.

"I haven't heard from her in a while. But she's a wily one. I wouldn't hold me breath that she'll stay dead long."

"Don't be absurd. The witch is gone. She cannot return from the realm of darkness of her own volition," Vexen chided.

"In your opinion," the captain shot back.

Not wishing to aggravate Hook any further, Vexen asked a new question. "What exactly were you and Maleficent planning?"

"She had gathered a council of like-minded individuals seeking Kingdom Hearts. We intended on achieving that by collecting the Seven Princesses of Heart."

Vexen had received very little information on Maleficent plan and the Princesses of Heart outside of Xemnas' general statements at the group meeting, so he was eager to find out whatever he could. "Is that so? This truly piques my curiosity. Mr. Smee, some more rum if you please."

* * *

"Thank you for everything, Captain," Vexen told Hook as they stepped off the dinghy, back onto shore.

"Of course. You gentlemen are more than welcome to drop by any time. Once again, thank you for saving me that terrible beast." With that, Smee turned the boat around and started rowing back toward the Jolly Roger.

"Well, that was a very enlightening couple of hours," Vexen told Dusk.

"Yeah. And on the bright side, we didn't have to get our cover blown because Captain Hook knows about the universe."

"Exactly. But something Hook said bother me."

"What was that?" Dusk asked.

"Hook said that his council captured all seven Princesses of Heart and had them stored on Hollow Bastion. That being said, why didn't Xemnas have us go pick up the Princesses ourselves? Between the fifteen of us, we could have very easily defeated that witch. We wouldn't have needed to go out and destroy planets and collect so many hearts. It seems rather inefficient to do this instead."

"Perhaps he wanted us to avoid having to face Sora?" Dusk offered.

"No matter how strong that kid is, he would stand no chance against all of us. The only way that he could beat one of us is if we would be foolish enough to fight him one on one, one at a time. And that makes precisely zero sense to do that. The fifteen of us could have wiped the floor with Sora and his friends just like that."

"Maybe Xemnas didn't know until it was too late."

"I highly doubt that. At the very least, he has proven himself to be a proficient strategist. It is rather peculiar indeed."

"I don't know, boss. I think you're overreacting or not thinking straight thanks to that rum."

"When am I ever wrong? My hypotheses are always correct!" Vexen responded in an outburst. A few seconds of silence passed and then Vexen continued, "It was a very…17th century type, that's for sure. Alcohol has certainly got better through time." They arrived at Vexen's cottage. "Alright, Dusk, I'll see you in the morning."

"Sounds good, boss."

The pair headed off to their respective dwellings. Although he understood where Dusk was coming from, Vexen was convinced that there was something not quite right about Xemnas' plan, and it bothered him the rest of the night.

* * *

The next morning found Vexen and Dusk sitting in their lounge chairs overlooking the Never Sea. It seemed like it was going to be a relaxing morning, until they saw a familiar mermaid swim up near them.

"Hey there!" Marina greeted.

"Good morning, Marina!" Dusk greeted. Vexen was glad that Dusk remembered her name, because he hadn't, as didn't really care that much.

"What brings you here today?" Vexen asked, a little bit gruffly. It's not that Vexen hated children (hate is a strong word), but he didn't exactly enjoy their company. There's a reason that Xion was created as a teenager.

"I was swimming around and I saw you guys and thought you might like to play!" she answered very cheerfully.

"Play?! I am a sci…" Vexen began before he caught an elbow from Dusk.

"That sounds like fun!" Dusk answered for the both of them. With that, Dusk hopped out of his chair and dove into the water.

"What type of game do you want to play?" Dusk asked. Vexen smiled, as he found the sight of Dusk swimming humorous.

"How about a diving game?" she responded, a reasonable request from a seven year old mermaid.

"That sounds good. Even, how about you throw something in the water and then we'll see who can get it first?" Dusk suggested.

Vexen grumbled under his breath, but saw that there was no way out of this. "Fine." He reached into his pocket and produced a piece of munny. "I'm pretty sure these sink." He reared back and threw the munny as hard as he could. It traveled quite a bit farther than Dusk expected it to. He looked to Vexen, his face showing surprise that he could throw the munny that far. "I used to pitch in my youth," Vexen stated with a shrug.

"3, 2, 1, go!" Marina shouted and she took off like a bullet towards where the munny had sunk. Dusk followed in pursuit, but was no match for Marina (who was literally built for something like this, much unlike Dusk). "Got it," she cried out after resurfacing with the piece. She then swam back to Vexen to hand him the piece, with Dusk still behind.

Dusk finally made it back, panting quite a bit. "Out of swimming shape?" Vexen asked with a snarky tone.

"No…no, I'm fine. I'm going to get…the next one," Dusk wheezed. Dusk hadn't swum since he'd been a human so it had been at least five years.

"Throw it even farther this time, Even!" Marina challenged.

Not one to back down from a challenge, Vexen obliged. Marina captured the munny again, long before Dusk was even halfway there.

This time, Dusk just stopped when Marina took it back to Vexen. "It's clear that I need a head start. I'm staying right here."

That strategy seemed to work better for Dusk, as he was able to secure the next one just before Marina could. Now, that the game was a competitive one, it was more fun for everyone involved.

"You can throw really far, Even. A lot farther than I can throw!" Marina commented.

Vexen cracked a smile. "You should have seen me back in the day, when I was young."

"You're not old!" Marina exclaimed. "Seventy is old. You're only like sixty," she explained, which made sense in her child sense of age.

Dusk completely lost it, breaking into a hysterical fit of laughter. Vexen turned beet red. "Laugh it up, you good for nothing assistant! I am not sixty, I will have you know!" Dusk continued to laugh at him. "I don't even look sixty," he grumbled to himself, his pride wounded by a seven-year old mermaid.

"Sorry, Even," Marina apologized.

Vexen glared at her, but then broke into a small smile. "It's fine."

Just then, Sandy the Starfish popped out of the water. "Is it really time to go, Sandy?" Marina whined to the starfish. He nodded his head and Marina sighed. "I've got to go home now, but it was fun playing with you!"

"Anytime!" Dusk answered.

"It wasn't so bad," was Vexen's response, which was probably the closest he could get to saying he enjoyed it.

"See you later!" she replied and swam off with Sandy.

Dusk got out of the water and they headed back to the base site. "Sixty years old," Dusk began, chuckling again.

"You're the one who looked like you were sixty, huffing and puffing in the water there!" Vexen exclaimed.

"Fair point. That was a fun time; she's a good kid," Dusk commented.

"I guess so," was Vexen's response. But, if only for a second, Dusk swore that he saw a tiny smile quickly cross Vexen's face.

* * *

Hey everyone, I'm back! Thanks to all of you who post reviews for this piece! Everyone is always welcome to post one! Next time we'll be seeing what Roxas and Xion have been up to since we last checked in.

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

One would think that The World That Never Was would be much quieter with the absence of so many of its members, but that was not always the case. Demyx and his constant tinkering with different music styles in order to create the perfect Organization XIII anthem created a cacophony that hung over like a soundcloud over the Grey Room and nearby bedrooms. It was hard to reprimand Demyx for his music making, because it was technically part of a mission from Xemnas himself. This led to many of the members spending more and more time out of their rooms and elsewhere in the Castle. This created a sort of solitariness not normally seen in the castle. So outside of Demyx's music, the Castle did feel emptier and quieter.

And this left someone like Roxas very bored. On this day, he was so bored that he dropped by the library, with the intent of finding a book to read. When he arrived in the library, he found Lexaeus reading a book. "Hey there, Lexaeus. I didn't know you were a reader."

Lexaeus raised an eyebrow. "Likewise."

"I also didn't know you wore glasses. How come I never see them?"

"They're my reading glasses. What brings you to the library?" Lexaeus was never really one for small talk outside of Zexion.

"I'm bored, so I thought I'd find a book to read."

"A noble endeavor. I assume your missions are going well?"

"Yeah. I've got a big tournament coming up on Olympus Coliseum," Roxas explained.

"Is that so? Are you amply prepared?"

"I think so."

"Would you perhaps be interested in learning some new combat moves in anticipation of the tournament?" Lexaeus asked. He knew that Roxas was no longer getting any education from either Zexion or Vexen, so he thought it would be good for Roxas' future to get some education/training from the strongest of the Organization's warriors.

Thinking that training would be infinitely more fun than reading (something that Roxas didn't exactly like already) would be, Roxas answered in the affirmative. "Sounds good to me."

Lexaeus opened up a Portal of Darkness and stepped in, with Roxas following him. They appeared inside one of the many training arenas in the Castle That Never Was.

"Now, in order to teach this warrior secret, you must first be in a weakened state. Summon your weapon." Roxas summoned his Keyblade and Lexaeus summoned his axe sword, Skyspliltter.

"So how do I know if I'm in that state?" Roxas asked.

Without warning, Lexaeus swung Skysplitter at Roxas knocking him flat on the ground, leaving the boy gasping for breath. "There. Now you're on your last legs."

Roxas was definitely in a weakened state, since a hit from Lexaeus was probably the hardest hit Roxas had ever received. He tried to say something, but no words came.

"Now, what you must do is focus on your weapon. You must become the weapon, surrendering your thought process to the weapon. Relax and let go of yourself, and you will find your inner limit break attack," Lexaeus lectured. Then, Lexaeus waved his hand and suddenly a massive Darkside Heartless appeared. "Let's see you use your Limit Break and defeat that Heartless."

Roxas closed his eyes and breathed deeply, attempting to relax. He focused on his Keyblade. A warm feeling over came as he became one with the Keyblade. Suddenly, his Keyblade was enveloped with light. Roxas snapped his eyes open and lunged at the Darkside, slashing it multiple times with his enlightened Keyblade. Then, he leaped into the air and slammed his Keyblade into the ground. Four pillars of light emerged from the ground, blasting the Darkside to oblivion. Roxas then collapsed to the ground, out of breath and out of his trance.

Lexaeus nodded. "Well done, Roxas."

"Thanks," was all Roxas managed to get out before collapsing onto the ground.

* * *

A few days later, Roxas and Xion returned to the Olympus Coliseum in order to compete in the opening rounds of the tournament. The Coliseum always took on a more festive appearance when a tournament was in town. The courtyard was full of colorful tents for each competitor. In addition, spectators roamed around before heading into the coliseum to get to their seats.

Roxas and Xion looked around at the spectacle surrounding them. "This isn't that interesting. I'll head in first," Xion told Roxas. She headed into the vestibule, where Phil was awaiting the two.

Roxas continued to look around. The festival atmosphere interested him, as it was a stark difference than the black, grays, and whites that adorned the Castle That Never Was. He took his time walking around the tents, observing the different people and creatures that he saw. After a few minutes of gawking around, Roxas headed into the vestibule as well, where he found Xion and Phil chatting.

"Roxas, there you are! I was worried that you were going to be late," Phil remarked.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Roxas responded.

"Here's the good news, champ. You and Xion are in different sides of the bracket, so you won't have to fight each other for quite a while. That's good for me, cause I'll know who to cheer for in each bracket."

"Excellent," was Roxas' reply.

"Now, you're going to be up in like twenty minutes, so you're going to need to start warming up now. Let's go, kid." Phil headed off into the arena with Roxas following him.

"Good luck," Xion told Roxas as he headed out.

"Thanks. You too," he answered and ran after Phil.

"Tournaments are just the best, aren't they?" a new voice called out. Xion turned around to see Hades.

"I expected to see you today," Xion answered back icily.

"Well, duh. I wouldn't want to miss your performances, today, now would I?" Hades answered, faking sincerity.

"I don't trust you," was her sharp response.

"Whatever, kid. I don't care if you trust me or not, I just need you to win for me."

"You got money on me?" she asked, squinting her eyes at him.

"Something like that. Knock 'em dead, kiddo," Hades replied. With that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Hades reappeared in his box, high above the coliseum. The crowds were all ready packed in, waiting for the excitement to start. Pain and Panic scurried over to him.

"Ready for another tournament, boss?" Panic asked.

Hades chuckled. "Oh yes. I think this one will be smokin'."

Down in the arena, Phil stepped up to announce the beginning of the tournament to the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Dionysus Cup! And let me introduce you to your tournament host, Dionysus himself!" There were great cheers as the pink skinned god stepped out into the arena and walked over to Phil.

"Can't believe Pinky got sobered up enough to host a tournament," Hades mumbled to himself.

"Let the games begin!" Dionysus announced, raising his arms into the air. This drew a roar from the crowds, and the tournament had now officially begun.

Not that long after, Roxas stepped into the ring. He had one of the first matches, and was ready to show everyone what he was made of. His opponents for this round were three Defender Heartless. Hades, of course, ruled all of the Heartless and could create them at will, as well as enhance their powers. But this time, Hades weakened their powers greatly.

As soon as the match began, Roxas went to work on defeating these Heartless. He jumped over them to attack their weak point, their backside. Unusually, though, the Defenders didn't even turn around to face him. Thus, to his surprise, they were defeated very easily, and in far less hits than he was used to. The roared at his victory, pleased that he had dealt with the Heartless so efficiently.

"Uh, boss, those Heartless went down pretty quickly," Pain noted.

"That's all part of the plan, boys," was Hades' response. He produced a cigar and started puffing away, not at all concerned by Roxas' easy victory.

Meanwhile, Phil was thrilled by Roxas' performance. "Great job, kid, you handled those guys perfectly!"

"Thanks, Phil. It felt pretty easy," Roxas answered, still unsure why it went so well.

"That's the training kicking in. See, if you'd be around for more training, you could be one of the greatest ever!"

"I might be on that road now," Roxas replied.

"Perhaps. But don't get cocky, kid. You've still got a long way to go."

* * *

Xion had observed Roxas' victory and was impressed. The pressure, of course, was on her now, to perform at the high level that he did. An hour passed and soon it was time for Xion's first bout. She was up against three Large Bodies, which thought would be just as strong as the Defenders that Roxas fought.

However, Hades had something else in mind. He went ahead and made the Large Bodies as powerful as they could be, far more powerful than what their seed detailed them as.

Xion's confidence was quickly lost when the Large Bodies immediately charged her, catching her off guard. One smashed into her, which sent her flying across the arena. The crowd oohed and aahed, just as surprised as Xion. Regaining her balance, she focused harder on the battle. While in the zone, she was able to defeat the three Large Bodies, but they did land several hits on her.

The crowd cheered, but not as loudly as they had for Roxas. Xion walked off the field, incredibly frustrated with herself, and face flushed with embarrassment.

"Good work out there, kid. It wasn't pretty, but you got the job done and that's the important part," Phil encouraged her.

"Yeah, I guess," was her response.

Up in the box, Hades was encouraged by the events. "So the little blackbird gets flustered easily, huh? That should make things easier than I thought," he sneered.

"So, what exactly is the plan here, your evilness?" Pain asked.

"I wouldn't expect you two numbnuts to understand. But it is a great plan, boys. A most excellent plan, if I do say so myself." The following evil chuckle told the minions all they needed to know.

* * *

Roxas and Xion had left Phil and were back in the courtyard. "I know you weren't happy with how things went today, but I want to tell you that you did a good job today. This tournament is not supposed to be easy," Roxas told Xion. He knew that Xion was a perfectionist (something probably inherited from her creator), but wanted to try to cheer her up regardless.

"Meh. I could have been much better today. I'll just have to work harder," was her response.

"Well, no matter what, you're still a champion to me," he told her, and with a nod, he walked away, off to take a Portal of Darkness back to The World That Never Was.

Xion smiled to herself, happy that Roxas cared about her enough to try to cheer her up when he knew that it would not work. It did lighten her mood, but it quickly soured when she saw a familiar figure appear in front of her.

"Tough round, huh?" Hades asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," was her response.

"Don't think like that, kid. You know what I saw? Potential. You got some potential for some real power. I can help you obtain power beyond your wildest dreams, yadda yadda yadda, all that cliché stuff."

"I'm not interested in your dark powers," Xion shot back.

"How do you know I use dark powers?" he asked.

"I looked into you. Lord of the Dead and known evil mastermind."

"My resume is pretty damn impressive."

"Regardless, I don't want your help," she continued.

"Fine. But if you change your mind, let me know. I want the best for you, Ms. Blackbird," he answered in a sugary-sweet tone.

"I highly doubt that. And the name's Xion." With that, Xion walked off and opened her Portal of Darkness to return her home.

"She's full of sass. I can appreciate that," he said to himself. "Such a shame it will all have to go to waste."

* * *

Hello friends! A bit of a shorter chapter, but hopefully still enjoyable! Next time, we'll get back to Luxord and Marluxia in Toontopia.

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

A few days had passed since the Br'er Rabbit episode, and Luxord had rarely left his office since. He had been researching as much as he could about Toontopia, in order to be able to have a better understanding of the area. Now that he was determined to find Roger Rabbit, he took a far greater interest in the locale of the busting city-planet.

Marluxia, meanwhile, was still brooding around his office, having only stepped into the city two or three times. However, he had been researching as well, not about the city, but rather, Keyblades.

As Luxord continued to work, Marluxia came into the office. "What are you working on?"

"Learning a little more about the city for the case I'm working on. What have you been up to?"

"Absolutely nothing! I've been bored out of my mind here. I occasionally watch the Nobodies do their construction work, but that's about it."

"You should go into the city more. Perhaps you'd enjoy it," Luxord suggested.

"I'm not a fan. It's too bright and colorful for my taste."

"I would have thought you would like that," Luxord drily retorted.

"Very funny. Besides, I don't want to blow my cover."

"That sounds like an excuse to me. I'm out and about in the city and I have a good cover. It's definitely doable."

Marluxia could see that his own logic was flawed and that this was not an argument he would win. Before he had to say anything, Gambler wandered into the office. "Boss, Jessica Rabbit called the desk."

"And what did she have to say?"

"Said she had a new lead on the case. Told you to meet her at the Ink and Paint Club tonight after her show. She said to be there at 8:00 and if anyone asks, tell them that Walt sent you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luxord asked.

"Not sure. I didn't ask."

"Some secretary," Marluxia added with a smirk.

"Regardless, thank you, Gambler," said Luxord. Turning to Marluxia, he continued, "I think you should accompany me to the club this evening. It would be good for you to get out of this building."

"Because you're so worried about my well being?"

"That and because I wouldn't mind having someone going with me to the club."

"Take Gambler with you," was Marluxia's reply.

"I'm busy tonight. I just won a lottery here in the city and am going to pick up the money and probably spend it gambling," Gambler explained.

"You won a lottery? What luck!" Marluxia exclaimed.

"Yeah, how lucky," answered Gambler, shooting Luxord a knowing look. Luxord nodded, suppressing a smile. With that, Gambler left the room.

"Besides, I think it would look rather unusual if I was there alone. I'm not that type of guy. Besides, if it is exceedingly droll, you can leave right after the show if you want."

Marluxia sighed. "Fine, but you owe me."

A couple of hours later, the pair arrived at the nightclub. The club was definitely located in a seedier part of town. There was no front entrance, but only a large neon sign that read "Ink and Paint Club." Luxord and Marluxia found a side entrance located in the adjacent alleyway.

Marluxia pulled at the door and found it locked. "Off to a great start, aren't we?"

"Perhaps we need to knock." Luxord did so and a slot opened up near the top of the door, revealing two eyes.

"Password?" the gruff voice said from behind the door.

Luxord looked at Marluxia, but he shrugged, not having a clue what the password might be. Luxord thought back to Jessica's message and then said, "Walt sent us." Immediately, the slot shut and the door was opened, revealing a hulking man who had been working the door. The man was bald and had a large metal hook instead of a left hand. "Thank you, sir," Luxord told the man as he and Marluxia entered the Ink and Paint Club. The doorman only grunted in return.

Luxord and Marluxia found themselves a table and sat down. At that moment, a penguin waiter (clad in classic bowtie) came by and dropped off drink menus.

An anthropomorphic microphone appeared onstage and began to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Ink and Paint Club. I'm Mike and I'll be your emcee for the evening. Our first act tonight is those loveable birds of a feather, the Two Caballeros!"

"The Two Caballeros?" Marluxia asked. "Interesting name. Probably would work better if there were three of them," he commented, as he saw José Carioca and Panchito Pistoles appear onstage.

"I suppose so," Luxord responded. The caballeros started to play, giving the place a Mexican restaurant feel, complete with mariachi band sound.

The penguin waiter then returned to the table, armed with a notebook and pencil to take down the pair's orders.

"A dry martini for me," Luxord told the waiter.

"Strawberry margarita," was Marluxia's order. The waiter wrote down the two drinks, nodded, and then left to go bring the order in. "This is all sorts of fun," Marluxia teased.

"Oh stop now. It must be better than whatever you've been doing this entire time," replied Luxord.

"Tell me, what do you think about Keyblades?"

Luxord was a bit surprised, as this topic seemingly came out of nowhere. "I mean, it's a powerful weapon, sure. It seems to be the 'key' to our salvation, obviously."

"Isn't its power incredible? The things that could be done with that sort of power. Wouldn't it be great if we could wield one ourselves?"

Luxord frowned. "Perhaps. But I believe that the Keyblade chooses its wielders. You simply cannot go and get one yourself."

This time, it was Marluxia's turn to frown. "True, true."

After that statement, the penguin waiter returned with the drinks, leaving them on the table. "But enough of this Keyblade talk," Luxord said. "I propose a toast." He raised his glass. "To the Organization. May we get our hearts back with all possible haste."

"I'll drink to that," Marluxia replied, and they clinked glasses.

* * *

"How many acts are there in the show?" Marluxia wondered aloud to Luxord. They had just listened to the Five Bear Rugs perform their set.

"Not sure. Country music not your style?" Luxord responded in a lighthearted manner.

"Oh, I love a good banjo just as much as the next guy, but these Country Bears were the fourth act we've sat through! Also, why are they called the Five Bear Rugs if there are six of them? Does the little bear that squeaks at the end not count?"

"I think you're overanalyzing them," was Luxord's dry response.

Luxord then saw the hook-handed doorman walk past them. He headed over to the piano, replacing the bear that had been on piano for the previous act.

The table next to Luxord and Marluxia's saw this as well. Seated there was a well-dressed walrus with a fluffy mustache and a carpenter. Knowing what was to follow, the walrus turned to his carpenter friend and announced, "The time has come!"

As if on cue, Mike reappeared on the stage. "And now, our final act of the evening," Mike called out. "The moment you've all been waiting for…here's Jessica Rabbit!"

Jessica sauntered onto the stage, her red dress now a sparkly red one. She nodded to the hook-handed man, who started her song, beginning with a glissando.

"Dearest friends, dear gentlemen  
Listen to my song  
Life down here's been hard for you  
Life has made you strong  
Let me lift the mood  
With my attitude"

At that moment, the song transitioned into a slow honkey tonk style, complete with a penguin band starting up (man, they can do everything!) and Jessica began to move about the stage.

"Hey, fellas  
The time is right  
Get ready  
Tonight's the night  
Boys, what you're hoping for will come true  
Let me be good to you"

She pointed to the Walrus on the 'you' and Luxord turned to look at him. Surveying the rest of the club, he found that the entire club had stopped what they were doing (including penguin waiters) to watch Jessica's performance.

"You tough guys  
You're feeling all alone  
You rough guys  
The best of you sailors and bums  
All of my chums"

The patrons of the club cheered at hearing themselves be mentioned by Jessica. Luxord turned to Marluxia, but he too was engrossed in watching Jessica.

"So dream on  
And drink your beer  
Get cozy  
Your baby's here  
You won't be misunderstood  
Let me be good to you"

Suddenly, two showgirls came out dressed in blue with long black gloves and accompanied Jessica by doing some classic showgirl dancing. The music crescendoed accordingly.

"Hey, fellas  
I'll take off all my blues  
Hey, fellas  
There's nothing I won't do  
Just for you

So dream on  
And drink your beer  
Get cozy  
Your baby's here  
Hey boys, I'm talking to you

Your baby's gonna come through  
Let me be good to you"

Jessica finished by pointing at Luxord, who managed a sheepish smile. After holding everyone captivated during her song, she received thunderous applause, cheers, and whistles. She blew a kiss to the crowd, gave them a wink, and then sashayed off the stage.

Marluxia turned to Luxord. "And here I thought she was a rabbit this whole time."

Luxord grinned. "Definitely not."

* * *

Not too long after, Jessica came out and over to Luxord and Marluxia's table. "Mind if I sit here?" she asked them.

Luxord jumped up to his feet. "Of course! Allow me." He pulled her chair out for her and she sat down.

"Such a gentlemen. Tell me, detective, who did you bring with you this evening?"

The realization that he hadn't prepared a backstory for Marluxia dawned upon Luxord, and he quickly scrambled to procure one. "Ah, this is my brother, Marluxia. He's setting up a…floral shop on the floor above me."

Marluxia nodded, mostly approving of the story that never defined him.

"So he's a florist? That explains a lot," Jessica answered.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Marluxia asked with a look of indignation on his face.

Luxord was about to say something, but Jessica instead continued, "Nothing, I'm sure. If you're looking into the floral business, you should talk to Trader Sam. He's always producing more plants from his jungle explorations."

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Rabbit. I'll look into it."

"Please call me Jessica."

Since Marluxia was not prepped for a cover like this, Luxord wanted to ensure that Marluxia did not have to do much talking. For this reason, he directed the conversation in a different direction. "We were both impressed with your performance tonight," he told her.

"Thanks. I do my best to entertain," she replied.

"And that you did," Marluxia added. That comment drew a sharp look from Luxord.

"Regardless, you said you have something new for the case?" Luxord asked.

"I think so. One of the showgirls I know said that she heard the weasels captured someone recently."

"Well, the weasels are a bunch of thugs. I'm not surprised," Luxord replied, showing off his newfound knowledge of Toontopia.

"Yes, but Roger and I have history with the weasels. We've run into trouble with them before. And for that reason, I think they may have been the one who took Roger," she explained.

"Alright, at the very least they are worth looking into. Did your friend mention where the weasels took the person?" Luxord asked.

"Apparently they're holding him at Toad Hall. But that doesn't make sense to me, because Mr. Toad is on just of bad of terms with the weasels as Roger and I are."

"That's very suspicious," Marluxia interjected. "Does Mr. Toad not like Roger?"

"No, they're good friends. They often go on driving trips together," she responded.

"Here's what I propose we do. We pay Mr. Toad a visit at Toad Hall. If we find weasels, we'll know it's true. If not, maybe this Mr. Toad may know where they are," said Luxord.

"Sounds good. I'll call a cab," said Jessica, and got up and headed for the door.

"Would like me to get a cab to take you back to the office, brother?" Luxord asked Marluxia, barely concealing a smile.

Marluxia shook his head. "Since I'm here, I might as well tag along. Besides, if you guys are going up against a bunch of weasel thugs, you might need backup from me."

"Very well," Luxord answered as he got up and followed behind Jessica. Changing to a whisper, he told Marluxia, "No powers. Only if she's out of sight. We're just regular humans."

"Of course," Marluxia whispered back. "Just a regular detective and florist brother combination," he followed, with a snicker.

Luxord did feel bad that he wasn't completely being honest with Jessica. After all, she seemed to put her full faith in him, and he was lying about his identity, more or less. However, Luxord had decided that he find Roger first. Perhaps afterwards he would reveal to her his true identity. Of course, the question loomed about their fates if the Organization's plan succeeded.

"Exactly," he whispered.

Soon, they were outside the Ink and Paint Club, waiting with Jessica. She had whistled for a taxi, and sure enough, one pulled up. This taxi looked exactly like Lenny, so Marluxia attempted to greet him. "Hey, it's Lenny!"

The taxicab laughed. "Nice try, bur I'm Benny. You must have met my cousin Lenny before."

"Yeah," Marluxia answered, deflated and sheepish.

"Jessica, sweetheart, where can I take you and these two guys?"

"To Toad Hall, Benny. This is Detective Luxord and his brother Marluxia. They're trying to help me find Roger," Jessica explained as they all got in.

"Well, any friend of Jessica or Lenny is a friend of mine, so you boys are A-OK! I'll get you to Toad Hall in no time!"

And with that, Benny sped off with his passengers out into the countryside to find the illustrious estate known as Toad Hall.

* * *

Hey there everybody! Bonus points to anyone who recognized what Disney movie Jessica's song was from. I envision the song a little slower than what it sounds like, but it's still a lot of fun! We are staying with Toontopia next time to see how things at Toad Hall go.

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!)

* * *

The drive to Toad Hall changed from brightly lit, city driving to a far darker tone with less well-lit roads as the city was left behind and the countryside became the new locale. "Toad Hall is sufficiently out of the way," Luxord commented drily.

"Yeah, but it's probably for the best," Benny replied. "Toad loves driving around in his motorcar, and let's just say that he's a bit of a crazy driver. Scares drivers like me. I don't want to end up in the shop, you know?"

"Fair enough."

Soon, they arrived at the front gates of Toad Hall. There was a gatehouse, but it appeared to be dark and empty. "Should we buzz in?" Marluxia asked.

"If the weasels are holding Roger here, then no. We don't want to alert them," Jessica pointed out.

"Regardless, someone needs to get the gate open. Marluxia, why don't you head to the gatehouse and let us in," suggested Luxord.

"Very well." Marluxia got out of the car and proceeded to climb over the gate. Once he was out of eyesight of the car, he opened a Portal of Darkness. He exited the portal inside the gatehouse, where he saw a lone weasel sitting at the controls. This weasel didn't look particularly intelligent (but then again, most of them don't). Marluxia smiled, and then thrust his arms into the air. Immediately, vines shot out of the ground and started wrapping around the weasel.

"What the…" the weasel began, but was unable to finish his sentence as vines wrapped around his mouth. For the finishing piece, a nice pink flower appeared on top of the wrapped up weasel, a perfect bow on the wrapped gift that now was the weasel.

"That went nicely," Marluxia said to himself. Pushing the weasel's wheeled chair away from the controls, he pulled up his own chair and looked at the control board. Finding the gate control button, he pressed it and then hit a button on his watch to contact Luxord.

Luxord's face appeared on the watch. "I see you got the gate up."

"I did. I had to knock out a weasel to do it, so they are definitely here. This gatehouse has a bunch of security consoles, so I can keep a watch on different parts of the manor if I stay here. So why don't you and Jessica find the rabbit and I'll alert you if I see an weasels coming your way."

Luxord nodded. "Good plan. We'll leave Benny here at the gates then. Don't want to attract any unwanted attention."

"Good luck." Marluxia ended the conversation and looked around at the inside of the gatehouse. He saw that there was a coffee on the table, undoubtedly the weasels. "Thank goodness, just what I needed." He grabbed the coffee and put his feet up on the table.

* * *

"Watch communication, huh? Fancy," Jessica commented to Luxord after his conversation.

"It comes in handy, especially in situations like this," was Luxord's reply.

"Alright, good luck guys! I'll be here waiting for you," Benny said.

Luxord and Jessica got out of the car and started up the dirt road that led to Toad Hall. The road was poorly lit, with only a sporadic lamppost here or there, so the pair could really not see much. "We're lucky Marluxia came. I couldn't see a weasel hiding if my life depended on it," Luxord noted.

"You'll probably be able to smell them," Jessica countered.

Luxord pressed the button on his watch to radio to Marluxia. "I'm not seeing anything. Am I blind, or are there no weasels?"

"I haven't seen anything," Marluxia replied. "There appear to be two on top of the manor, but you won't have to deal with them until you get there."

"Roger that, thanks." He turned to Jessica. "Looks like we have nothing to worry about for a while."

"I'm grateful for that. I'm not into this whole fighting thing."

"I would hope so. Fighting's not exactly my forte, but you can be sure that defending you will be my first priority."

"Why, you spoil me!" she answered. "You're such a gentlemen. You must be quite a hit with the ladies."

Luxord chuckled softly. "I'm afraid you're all wrong there. I have no lady friend of that variety."

"Well, that's a shame," she crooned.

"I thank you for saying so."

"I know a couple of really nice showgirls that you'd hit it off with. How about I set you up?"

"Perhaps I will, after this is all over." Luxord had no idea what his plans were after they found Roger. The base was still weeks away from being complete. He was unsure if he should continue on with this fake life of his. Maybe it would be better if he sunk in seclusion. After all, this planet's fate was already sealed. Of course, thoughts of doubt had already started creeping into his mind. Was that sacrifice of all the Toontopia lives worth it, just to get his heart back? He figured Marluxia thought so, but he wasn't sure about himself.

He shook those thoughts from his head as he focused back on the mission at hand and what Jessica was saying. "Pardon, but could you repeat that?"

"I said I hope this all ends after tonight."

"Me too."

After a couple more minutes of walking in silence, the duo arrived at the manor house. "We're here," Luxord told Marluxia. They hid behind a tree to the left of the house so they would not be seen.

"Excellent," the voice of Marluxia replied. "There are two sentry weasels guarding the front door. You'll need to take them out before proceeding. Wow, I sounded like a video game just there," he realized.

"How do you want to handle this?" Jessica asked.

Luxord peered out from behind the tree to get a look at the weasels. "Hmmm…I'll need something to knock them out with." He pulled his head back behind the tree and turned to look at Jessica, who had procured her mallet (seemingly out of nowhere, again). "That should do nicely, yes. You stay here. I have a plan, but you'll have to trust me."

Jessica gave a quizzical look. "If you say so."

Luxord then left the tree and headed toward the two weasels, not trying to be hidden at all. He strode right up to the weasels, armed with a mallet. "Hello there, my good chaps. I need to go have a word with your boss," he calmly explained.

"What for?" one of the weasels asked suspiciously. He was wearing a propeller cap and was holding a club.

"This mallet is dying to meet him," Luxord responded, proud of his clever statement.

However, such cleverness was lost on the low intelligent weasels. "Did you schedule a meeting with him for you and your mallet?" the other weasel asked.

Luxord sighed upon realizing that they had not understood his previous statement. "Perhaps this will get my point across." In a flash, he had smashed the second weasel on the head with the mallet, knocking him out cold. The other weasel sprung into action, attempting to smash Luxord with his club. He parried the attack with the mallet and then took off running around the right side of the house. The weasel immediately pursued Luxord. The Gambler of Fate continued running around the house until he knew that he was safely out of Jessica's eyesight. Once there, he stopped and stood his ground.

"I got ya right where I want ya," the weasel said as he caught up to him.

"Why, you took the words right out of my mouth," Luxord answered with a wry grin. He then summoned two giant cards, one on either side of the weasel.

"What's this?" the propeller-capped weasel asked.

"That's game over," Luxord said. Immediately the cards smashed together, crushing the poor weasel and knocking him out cold. Satisfied with his work, Luxord walked back to the front of the house.

"Nicely done," Marluxia's voice complimented through the watch.

"I thought so myself," Luxord replied. Once he made it back to the front, he waved Jessica over.

"You took care of the other one?" she asked him when she rejoined him. He handed her back her mallet.

"We won't have to worry about him anymore. Shall we?" he asked, motioning to the door. She nodded and Luxord opened the large door very slowly, hoping that the door wouldn't make any noise. Of course, this failed (as it always does, it seems) and the door creaked very loudly.

The pair walked into the foyer. Jessica pointed to a staircase that was close by. "There's a balcony up there. That will allow us to see what's going on," she whispered. They headed up the stairs and to the balcony that Jessica suggested.

Looking down, they were able to see most of the Great Ballroom below them. The room was filled with weasels lounging about. Seeing the multiple beer bottles scattered around the room, Luxord whispered to her, "Looks like most of them are drunk."

She gave him a snarky look. "You truly are the world's greatest detective," she replied in a statement dripping with sarcasm.

On the floor below, they watched as two weasels brought in a wealthy looking toad. Following them in was a weasel dressed in a light pink zoot suit and matching hat. The toad was forcefully sat down into a chair and the pink-wearing weasel stood in front of him.

"There's Mr. Toad and that's Smarty, leader of the weasels," Jessica whispered to Luxord.

"That's what I thought," he answered. "There's a lot of weasels down there, and it's not going to be easy to take them all down."

"Agreed," the voice of Marluxia chimed in, causing both Jessica and Luxord to jump. "What?"

"You scared us! You can still see what's going on?" Luxord asked.

"Oh yes. What are you thinking?" It was difficult for both Marluxia and Luxord to come up with ideas. Their natural instinct was to use their abilities and weapons to take out the group of weasels, but that was off the table to in order to keep their identities secret.

"I'm not sure."

Down on the floor, Smarty was talking to Mr. Toad. "You're probably wondering why we came here a couple days ago. Let me tell ya Toadman. We're in need of some cash, and we know that ya got boatloads. And, of course, we're still hoping to pay ya back from the last time we came by to Toad Hall. We thought we'd be able to find ya secret stash of cash, but we haven't been able to. So tell me, Toad, where do ya keep your dough? I'm only asking once," he snarled with obvious animosity.

"It doesn't sound like they have Roger," Luxord said.

"Maybe. Only way to find out," she replied.

"For someone who doesn't like fighting, you certainly like your fighting words," Luxord noted.

She smiled slyly. "Is that so?"

At that moment, it went dark for Luxord as a weasel smashed his head with a club.

* * *

When Luxord awoke, he found himself tied to a chair, with Jessica tied next to him in another chair. Toad was also tied in a chair to his other side.

"Well, boys, look who's awake? I don't think we've met before, pal," Smarty said.

"Allow me to introduce myself: Detective Luxord."

"Oh, so you're a cop! That just makes it even better, doesn't it?" The other weasels snickered in agreement. "But do entertain me, cop. What are Jessica and ya doing here?"

"We believe you kidnapped Roger Rabbit," was his blunt reply.

That caused Smarty to burst out into laughter. "That's a good one!"

"Where's Roger?" Jessica asked.

"Look, we didn't kidnap the idiot. Didn't even know he was gone. But I appreciate whoever did that! Hopefully they take care of him, cause he'll be a loose end after we finish ya. Thanks to ya, this is now a double revenge plot! How exciting," he leered.

Luxord looked around and saw that there must have been forty to fifty weasels in the room. There was only one way out of this situation, but Luxord really didn't want to take it.

"You'll never get away with this!" Jessica yelled at Smarty.

"Yeah? Ya place ya bet on that and I'll place my bet on me."

Smarty's statement gave Luxord an idea. "Are you a betting man, Mr. Smarty?"

"Yeah. What's it to ya?"

"I was a gambler once, a long time ago. Lady Luck was always very kind to me. If you're feeling lucky, how about we roll it out?"

Smarty squinted his eyes. "What do ya mean?"

"You untie me and we'll roll some dice. Highest number wins. If I win, you let us go. If you win, you can kill us."

Smarty scratched his chin, pondering over the offer. "How stupid do ya think I am? Why risk letting ya go when I can kill you right now?!" This elicited laughter from the other weasels again.

But their laughing stopped when a new figure leaped from the balcony and landed onto the floor. Standing there, armed with Graceful Dahlia, was The Graceful Assassin himself. "You didn't tell me there was going to be a party," he quipped.

"Marluxia?" Jessica asked in confused amazement.

Immediately, Luxord stopped time except for him and Marluxia. "I'm not happy about this," he told Marluxia.

"It was the only option."

"I know. I'll have a lot of explaining to do to Jessica."

"I'm sorry. But you can do that later. Let's kick some ass." Marluxia walked over to Luxord and sliced his ropes.

"Here we go," Luxord added grimly, and then unfroze time.

* * *

Jessica had an incredulous look on her face as she surveyed the Grand Ballroom. The weasels, including Smarty, were strewn about the floor. Marluxia and Luxord had defeated all of them, using their powers to the fullest. Vines, dice, and cards were scattered about the room as well, all used in the battle. The men had gone through the weasels rather quickly; they had stood no chance against two Organization members.

"Oh thank you, thank you very much," Mr. Toad exclaimed gratefully. He fervently shook Luxord and Marluxia's hands. "Marvelous, simply marvelous. You cleaved them to the brisket for sure! I don't know if I'll be ever able to repay you!"

"No problem, Mr. Toad," Marluxia replied.

Luxord wasn't paying attention to Mr. Toad, though. He was making eye contact with Jessica. "Jessica, I can explain…"

"There's nothing to explain. I don't know what you are, but I know that you're not what you say you are. Is your name even Luxord? You know what, I don't even care." Incensed and frightened at Luxord, she spun around and marched out the manor.

"Where are you going?" he called out.

"Away from you! I'll go find Roger on my own, without your help," she called out as she left.

"She'll come around, don't worry," said Marluxia. Getting no response from Luxord, he continued, "Hey, we won, didn't we?"

Luxord was still staring at where Jessica had left. "I'm not so sure."

* * *

Hey there everybody! The answer to last chapter's question about the song is The Great Mouse Detective. Pretty underrated movie, I would highly suggest watching if you haven't seen it in a while. Hope y'all are enjoying the story! Next time, we'll be back on Lothal.

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

"Exactly where do you plan on taking them?" Axel asked Xigbar from the backseat of the landspeeder. Having found that Sabine and Ezra's current hideout was compromised, Xigbar was now driving the landspeeder back through Capital City.

"Out into the countryside, where our…base is," was Xigbar's response. After finding out that Ezra and Sabine's hideout had been destroyed, Xigbar figured that taking the pair back to the Nobody Base would be the safest place for them.

"What?!" Axel was not convinced of that at all. He wondered exactly how Xigbar would explain all of the Nobodies and their construction, as well as the purpose of the base itself. (Spoiler: He probably wouldn't be able to.) Sure, Axel wasn't exactly keen on doing his missions by the book, but this was going too far for even him.

"You got a better idea?" Xigbar shot back.

Axel didn't, so he remained silent.

"You guys have a base?" Ezra asked.

"Eh…kind of. It's a work in progress," Xigbar offered, providing the understatement of the year.

"Are you sure we'll make it outside of the road blockade?" Sabine asked.

Chopper made his high pitch noise that signified a laugh, followed by a "Womp womp!" for good measure.

"Very funny, you orange bucket of bolts," Xigbar responded, shaking his head.

"Wait, you can understand that robot? How?" an incredulous Axel asked.

Xigbar breezed right by Axel's question, ignoring him. "I'm betting on a slow reaction by the troopers on creating the blockade, hopefully allowing us to slip out before the roads are fully secured."

"Seems like a risky bet," Sabine replied. She looked back behind the landspeeder to see if they were being followed or not.

"The stormtroopers were never as bright as the clones."

"You knew clones? You fought in the Clone Wars?" she exclaimed.

"Well…" Before Xigbar could finish, he saw a traffic jam farther ahead. "Shit. Blockade must be up already."

"Way to fall right into their trap," Axel mocked.

"You guys got a blanket in this landspeeder?" Ezra asked. "We could cover ourselves and try to get through."

"That'll work wonderfully," Axel replied, rolling his eyes.

"Womp womp womp!"Chopper agreed with Axel's doubting sentiment.

"What other choice do we have?" Ezra fired back.

Xigbar looked at the traffic and saw that it was starting to move quickly. As the landspeeder got closer and closer, he could tell that everyone was waiting for him to come up with something. "Traffic's moving quick enough where they might be checking half-ass only. Let's try the blanket, but have your weapons ready." Of course, that meant that Axel and Ezra had to switch places, which would be fairly obvious to see if the stormtroopers were looking.

Fortunately they were not (as one might have guessed), and as the landspeeder pulled up to the checkpoint, things were looking pretty good.

"Afternoon, trooper," Xigbar greeted giving a friendly wave.

"What's in the backseat?" the stormtrooper asked.

"Some fuel. Wanted it covered so no one would steal it."

The stormtrooper nodded his head and started to raise his hand to tell them to move along. But before he could say anything, a man with rather impressive sideburns spoke.

"Perhaps you should check more carefully, trooper," the man began. "We wouldn't want there to be any rebels hiding underneath there, now would we?" The man squinted his eyes at Xigbar, clearly suspicious of the supposed "fuel."

"Yes, Agent Kallus," the trooper responded. He grabbed the blanket and pulled it off. Revealed were Ezra and Sabine, who sprung into action against the surprised trooper. A kick from Sabine sent the trooper sprawling across the ground.

Kallus meanwhile, just chuckled. "We have our rebels," he said into his comlink. "Get me more troops here at once."

"No time to fight," Xigbar called out. He immediately jumped out the speeder and took off running. Axel, Chopper, Sabine, and Ezra followed in pursuit.

A squadron of stormtroopers appeared next to Kallus. "Get them," he commanded, pointing in their direction.

At that second, Sabine pressed a detonator, and the landspeeder exploded, taking many stormtroopers with it. "Thought it might be a good idea to leave them a present," she offered.

"I like the way you think, kid," Xigbar replied.

Ducking into an alleyway, the gang stopped to catch their breath. "Who was Sideburns there? A friend of yours?" Xigbar asked Ezra.

"We've met him a few times," was Ezra's reply.

"Where now?" Axel asked.

"What do you think? This isn't your first rodeo," Xigbar replied.

Axel scratched his head, trying to come up with something. "Well, we should probably find some place to stake out. Maybe an abandoned house?"

"That makes sense," said Sabine.

"I think I know where we can find one," Ezra offered.

* * *

Admiral Konstantine briskly walked into the room where Darth Vader was currently residing. Vader was inside of his meditation chamber, and was usually not to be disturbed unless something exceptionally important occurred (and even then, it was a pretty big risk to do so!). Konstantine attempted to clear his throat to draw Vader's attention, but found himself too afraid to do so. However, Vader could sense his presence, and initiated the conversation himself.

"You have news?" began the Dark Lord of the Sith. He did not turn to face Konstantine.

"Y…yes, Lord Vader. Agent Kallus has located the rebels. They were trying to sneak through one of the road blockades. There were only two: the Mandalorian and the boy. Two unknown men assisted them."

"Did Agent Kallus capture them?"

Konstantine paused and gulped. "Not quite. They escaped capture and are hiding somewhere in the city." He cringed, anticipating a harsh reaction from Vader.

Vader himself didn't speak, absorbing the news. "They will not escape a second time. Admiral, prepare a shuttle for me. I will handle this myself."

"Right away, sir." Konstantine scuttled off, thankful that Vader hadn't killed him.

Vader rose and exited his chamber. As he attempted to leave the room, a holoprojector in the room started to chirp. Vader went over to it and activated it. He immediately kneeled as a hologram of Emperor Palpatine appeared.

"Lord Vader, what progress have you made in the Lothal campaign?"

"I have delayed the attack based on information that not all of the rebels have left the planet. Agent Kallus has determined that two are still on the planet. I am going to find them myself," Darth Vader explained.

"Which ones? Is the boy there?"

"Yes."

Palpatine cackled. "Good, good. I want him brought to me alive. He is crucial to our plans."

"Yes, master."

"Now go. Do not fail."

"As you wish, my master." With that, the image of Darth Sidious disappeared. Vader stood up and left the room, his infamous breathing echoing throughout the room.

* * *

After a half-hour of sneaking through the town, Ezra led everyone to the abandoned house that he had in mind. Xigbar went in first to check the house to make sure it was secure.

"Clear!" he called out, and the others came inside. "Axel and I are going to make a sweep of the area and make sure there are no troopers around. You guys wait here." The Organization members then headed out of the house.

"To be honest, it's probably best we didn't take them out to the base," Axel offered.

"You're probably right."

"What are we doing here? This isn't part of the mission at all. We could just leave and forget all about these two."

"And let these two kids die? Have a heart, Axel."

"Think I'll pass. My heart just wouldn't be in it, you know? Haven't got one." Xigbar, usually someone who would laugh at a statement like that, didn't. "This is personal, isn't it?"

Xigbar nodded his head. "The Empire and I go way back. Look, kid, if you want to return back to our base, that's fine. You can supervise and check in with me every now and then. But I have to do this. I can't tell you why, but I have to."

Axel had never seen Xigbar so serious. "Okay, okay, I got it. I'll keep in contact with you." Axel wasn't quite sold on straying too far from the mission. This was one mission he wanted to do effectively and quickly. The sooner he could get his heart back, the better. The less connections he made with soon-to-die citizens the better. He opened up a Portal of Darkness, stepped in, and disappeared.

Shaking his head, Xigbar continued walking along, patrolling the area for some troopers. Turning around a corner, a found a lone stormtrooper also patrolling the area. "Got you right in the crosshairs," he mumbled to himself, raising his Arrowgun. Suddenly the stormtrooper turned around. Seeing Xigbar, he raised his blaster to fire, but was too late. Xigbar had already fired and knocked the blaster out of his hand, sending him spiraling downward. Unbeknownst to Xigbar, the trooper pressed a button on his comlink while on the ground.

"Get up," he told the trooper. "Let's talk about why you're here on Lothal."

"I don't talk to rebel scum," the stormtrooper shot back.

"As if. You're going to talk to me whether you like it or not, pal."

"Freeze, rebel!" a new voice called out. Xigbar turned his head to see that eight stormtroopers were at the other end of the alley. Eight more appeared on his side, putting Xigbar right in the middle.

"There's no need for any trouble here, tiger," Xigbar explained, raising his hands slowly.

"Don't make any sudden movements. We've got you surrounded. There's nowhere to go," the commander continued.

Xigbar wagged his finger at the trooper. "See, that would work-if I were just any old dude. 'Cept I'm not. Nothing "any old" about me." He figured that via quick teleporting and even quicker shooting, he could take out all of the troopers. But if he were even a split second too slow, he would be done for. That risk was something he was trying to calculate while he talked. The commander did not respond, causing him to quip, "Well, I'll just have to have to take you guys down myself."

"Nah…I can handle these punks. Watch this!" a disembodied voice called out. Suddenly a geyser of flames erupted and blasted one of the eight trooper sets. Then, two chakrams came flying and hit two others troopers. They proceeded to ricochet off of each trooper until the other eight-trooper set was down as well. A Portal of Darkness opened and Axel appeared, catching his chakrams as they came back to him.

"So you came back," Xigbar said with a smirk.

"Had to save your sorry ass, old man. Without me, you're hopeless," answered Axel with his trademark grin.

"As if!"

* * *

A knocking at the door immediately aroused Ezra's suspicion, but upon sneaking up to the door and peeking through the peephole, he saw the two Organization members. "Look who's back," he said while opening the door, "Xigbar and Axis. What took you so long?"

That comment caused Xigbar to chortle as they walked in. Axel merely sighed. "The name's Axel. Got it memorized?"

"I guess not," Xigbar cracked.

"Sorry about that. My bad," apologized Ezra as he closed the door.

"We found some Imperials, but we disposed of them and led the rest far away from here. We were then able to escape undetected," Axel explained. Of course, Axel left out the part about how they escape by simply taking a Portal of Darkness out of there. "We won't have to worry about them anytime soon."

"Classic misdirection," Sabine called out, walking in on the conversation. "Good job, guys. Ezra and I scrounged around the house and found some food, so we made some dinner."

"That's all I needed to hear," was Axel's reply and he followed Ezra deeper into the house.

That just left Sabine and Xigbar. He was able to look at her for the first time really, as most of the time they had spent together was in blaster fights and chases. As Xigbar looked at her face, he realized that she was a Mandalorian, which explained her pink helmet and her armor.

"You're Mandalorian, huh?" he began.

"That's right." He could tell that she wanted to ask him something. He gave her a look indicating that he was willing to answer her question. "Are you a bounty hunter?"

Xigbar chuckled softly. "I used to be. Back in the day."

"Because you're clearly not Mandalorian and…"

"And you're wondering how I got this armor? It was a gift, kiddo. I didn't kill any Mandalorian to get it." Sabine immediately relaxed, relieved by that fact. "I never could really get behind the helmet though. I always felt that it limited my vision."

"I'm sure it was pretty hard to see with only one eye!" she joked.

"Very funny. Back then, I had both of my eyes. Wouldn't lose it until much later." He looked off into the distance, remembering his fateful encounter with Terra. "What's your House?"

"House Vizsla, Clan Wren."

Xigbar raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Is that so?"

"You surprised?"

"Just…a pretty infamous clan back in the day."

Just then, Chopper came in. "Womp womp womp!" he called out, spinning his arms.

"Coming, Chopper. Let's go eat."

"I can't wait to see what you cooked up," said Xigbar, cracking a smile.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up. A lot of canned stuff."

"Perfect. Just like the good old days."

* * *

Hey there everyone, sorry it's been so long since I've updated! A big thank you to all of you who favorite/follow and/or review the story! I love to hear what you guys think about the piece! Next time, we'll be returning to the Deep Jungle, so stay tuned.

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Zexion and Larxene returned to camp with Archimedes Porter, having "rescued" him after "finding him lost in the jungle". Naminé had done an excellent job; Porter had no memories of his first encounter with the Organization members. Rather, he only remembered the pair finding him on the way back from their crash site. He had taken to the pair quite nicely and was very gracious for their help. Jane, of course, was overjoyed to have her father back safely in camp. In another stroke of good luck for Zexion and Larxene, Sora had still not returned to the Deep Jungle, allowing them to continue masquerading as Riku and Kairi.

Mornings had become something of a routine at the camp. Zexion was always the first one up and would immediately get to work on getting some coffee going. Not long after, Larxene would get up and join Zexion outside. Without fail, he would greet her with a cheerful, "Good morning!" He then would hand her a cup of coffee. Zexion didn't really like coffee, but he knew Larxene needed it in order to get her day going.

This pleased Larxene, who was not used to people doing things for her. She had spent most of her previous life on her own and Axel was a bit on the lazy side. He was very unlikely to have done anything like this.

As Larxene began to drink her coffee on this particular morning, Zexion told her, "I spoke with Creeper this morning. He thinks the base is about halfway done."

She nodded. "That's good."

"Are you eager to return to the World That Never Was?"

"I don't know. The weather here is much nicer," she answered. Zexion was happy that she didn't comment on if she missed Axel or not. He certainly wouldn't bring it up. "I wish I could do some training out here, though."

The Castle That Never Was had an excellent training facility. Simulations that adapted to one's moves (a product of Vexen) provided new and unique experience every time. Larxene probably spent more time than any one else on said simulations. She fought the simulations frequently, as few Organization members would agree to fight against her. Lexaeus, who loved training just as much as Larxene, was usually up for a round. She didn't try to fight him too much though, because three or four hits from Skysplitter would leave her beaten and bruised for the day. Larxene had once convinced Axel to fight against her, but after beating him down, he vowed to never fight her again.

"Well, perhaps I could train against you," Zexion offered.

This took Larxene by surprise, as Zexion was definitely not a fighter. At least Vexen had an actual weapon (a shield,) unlike Zexion who only had a book. "You want to fight against me?" she asked incredulously.

"I could give it a try. It would be a useful experience for me."

She shrugged. "Okay. But I'm not going easy on you." She was determined to win, with her loss against Vexen still smarting.

"I would hope so." Together, they walked out of camp into the Bamboo Thicket. "Better go a little farther, just in case."

"In case you scream for mercy too loudly?" she retorted with a malicious smile on her face.

"Something like that." He led her though the Bamboo Thicket and into the Cliff area. "This will do nicely." He then snapped his finger and an invisible force field came up, blocking the way back to the Bamboo Thicket.

"You could do that?" Larxene asked with a surprised look on her face.

"Sure. Not terribly difficult to learn." After Larxene walked a little bit away from him, he asked, "Ready?"

She looked at him with a sly smile. "The question is, are you ready?" Before Zexion could answer, she lunged at him, her knives in hand. She landed right through him, though. "An illusion," she muttered to herself.

"I had a feeling you might try something like that," the voice of Zexion called out. She turned and saw that he was now a couple steps away. "Thus, I brought some back up," the voice of Zexion said, but from a different direction.

Larxene turned her head the other way to see another Zexion standing there. She turned around completely and saw that a circle of Zexions, totaling ten in all, now surrounded her. "Very funny." She summoned her Foudre in her hands (she had ditched her gloves weeks ago).

All the Zexions summoned their Books of Retribution and moved in to attack Larxene. Never one to be on the defensive, she took the initiative and attacked first. Her Foudre whirled as they sliced and diced through Zexion illusions. She hacked through a few before they backed off. Larxene saw that there were still ten Zexions.

"Ready to give up?" Zexion asked.

"Not on your nonexistent life," was her reply. She then charged at the Zexions. They continued their assaults, landing a few hits on Larxene. Regardless, she sliced and diced as many Zexions as she could before they again backed off. She looked around and now saw fifteen Zexions.

"You're breathing heavily. We can stop any time," the smug voice of Zexion called out.

She laughed. "I can do this…all day."

"As you wish." The Zexions continued their assault. Larxene knew she needed a new strategy and fast. She grinned as she came up with a solution to the illusion problem.

Suddenly, there were two Larxenes and then three. The Zexions were taken aback. "Since when do you have the ability to clone?"

"Every girl has her tricks." Soon there were fifteen Larxenes. They all began to attack each Zexion, setting off fifteen one versus one battles.

While Zexion may have stood a chance by ganging up on Larxene, he knew he was hopeless in a single combat situation against Larxene. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his fellow Zexions disappearing. When a Larxene was victorious, she disappeared too.

The field quickly narrowed then, as no Zexion was victorious against any Larxene. The real Larxene finished off a Zexion illusion and looked to her left, seeing one clone was left fighting the real Zexion. That clone disappeared as Larxene walked over towards the real Zexion.

He started to back up, but Larxene then dove at him. She tackled him to the ground, lying right on top of him. Several seconds passed as she lay there. The only sounds were the heavy breathing of the two. Finally, she brought her knives to his throat and whispered, "Give up?"

"Oh yes," he replied, thrilled that she was this close to him.

"Good." She rolled off him, landing next to him, on her back like Zexion. "You know, you're not as bad as I thought you were going to be."

"I got a couple good hits on you."

"No you didn't!" She shoved him playfully and then got up.

"Ah ha! What's that on your arm?" Zexion called out.

She looked to her arm. There, she found a small cut, one that would have drawn a drop or two of blood (Nobodies cannot bleed, but cuts and scars can still occur). Quickly pulling her arm in front of her, she turned away and replied, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

* * *

Later that day, Archimedes proposed that everyone go on a little expedition. "Since we've been here, we have seen very few hippos. A couple have been sighted in Hippo Lagoon, but I believe there must be a spot where there are more hippos."

"Daddy, are you really sure you want to go out looking for hippos? Last time you went exploring, your two companions didn't make it back and you nearly died out there," continued Jane.

"Nonsense. I was perfectly fine when Riku and Kairi found me, isn't that right?"

Larxene nodded. "Oh yes. Lost, but not in bad health," she answered with a smirk on her face.

"Besides, I thought all of you could join me this time. Tarzan can lead the party, thus we will be well protected."

Tarzan beat his chest. "Tarzan lead."

Jane, however, was still not convinced. "But Daddy, it looks like it's going to rain." Indeed, the sky was gray and overcast.

That statement did not deter Archimedes Porter, though. "It's not going to rain today. My lumbago isn't acting up." That caused Zexion to chuckle. Of course, with the technology on the world, that statement basically had to be accepted as a valid response.

Seeing that no one else had spoken on her side, Jane acquiesced. "Fine, fine. But I'm taking my parasol and we should leave at once."

And thus, the group set forth on their quest for hippos. The explorers made it only fifteen minutes into their trek when a clap of thunder sounded. Seconds later, it was pouring.

"Look at it come down!" Porter exclaimed.

"Told you so," said Jane. She had brought her parasol and opened it up now. "Much better."

Neither Porter nor Zexion seemed too concerned about the rain, as their pith helmets covered their heads. Tarzan, of course, was used to this type of weather, and thus also unaffected. Poor Larxene, however, had neither a hat nor an umbrella and had a good amount of skin exposed.

"Does my hat seem stupid now? Zexion taunted.

"Still is," she replied, without missing a beat. "This is going to ruin my hair," she complained.

"Impossible. Nothing could wreck your looks," Zexion answered without thinking. He shocked himself upon realizing what he said.

Larxene, too, was surprised at what Zexion had just said. But instead of snapping something snarky at him, she simply said, "Why thank you." She immediately turned her head away from Zexion, a smile on her face (and perhaps a bit flushed). No one, not even really Axel, ever complemented her on her appearance.

Zexion was taken aback that she hadn't gotten mad. As such, a great smile came onto his face after Larxene had turned her head away. After several seconds of keeping his dopey grin plastered on his face, he realized what he needed to do. "It just so happens, Larxene, that I brought an umbrella with me." He took off his backpack and produced an umbrella from inside.

"He even brought an umbrella for you? What a sweet guy," Jane noted.

Larxene turned around. "Yes he is," said Larxene with a genuine smile on her face as she accepted the umbrella. She turned around and continued on, now with a bounce in her step.

Zexion was ecstatic and was definitely blushing (so he was quite happy that Larxene had turned around). However, that joy was short lived, as a sharp pain immediately arose in his chest. This pain was far worse than the first one and caused him to cry out in pain.

He saw Larxene turn around towards him in slow motion. She was the last thing he saw as his world faded into black.

* * *

As Zexion slowly opened his eyes, he had no idea where he was. His first thought was that he was dead and now in heaven. As he turned his head to the right, he saw Larxene. She took off her sports bra, leaving herself bare backed, facing away from him. This confirmed to him that he had to be in heaven.

However, that was not quite the case, as he was actually located in Larxene's tent. Larxene put on a new black sports bra and then turned around. Seeing that Zexion was awake, she began, "Well, well, look who is alive again!"

"What happened to me?"

"You tell me! One minute you're fine, the next you're collapsed on the ground," she explained. "Tarzan and I carried you all the way back here. No umbrella for me, so I got soaked."

At that moment, Archimedes Porter walked into the hut. Seeing Zexion awake, he exclaimed, "He lives!"

Zexion smiled. "Very glad about that."

"What happened, son?" Porter asked.

"I'm not quite sure. I had a very sharp pain right here," Zexion replied as he pointed to where his heart would be. "But I feel perfectly fine now."

"Hmmm…maybe you suffered a heart attack? But you're pretty young for that," mused Porter as he twisted his mustache.

"Impossible. I don't have a heart."

That caused Porter to laugh. "Of course you have a heart, my boy! You're far too modest, Riku! I'll go let the other know you're okay. Doesn't have a heart," Porter chuckled to himself as he left the tent.

As soon as Porter was gone, Larxene immediately turned to Zexion, a concerned look on her face. "Your heart?"

"That's what it felt like," Zexion explained. "I had a smaller pain there two weeks ago, but I forgot to tell you."

"What could this mean? You have some sort of disease?"

"Unlikely. Nobodies can't get sick. I have absolutely no idea what it is."

"We should call someone," she continued. "Perhaps Lexaeus or Xaldin would know about this."

"No, there's only one person who might know anything about this."

Upon inferring whom Zexion was talking about, Larxene shook her head. "No way! I'm not talking to him."

That drew a smile from Zexion. "You don't have to. I'll do it myself. You can stand outside of the tent and make sure no one comes in."

"That I can do." She turned and started to head out of her tent.

Zexion cleared his threat. "And Larxene?" He paused for a second, "Thanks for taking care of me."

She turned her head back towards him, revealing the small smile on her face. "That's what friends are for," she said and then exited the tent.

Zexion continued to look at where she left. "Friends," he repeated to himself, pleased. He then got up out of bed and took off his watch. He pressed a few buttons and then set it at the foot of his bed.

The watch then projected an image on the wall of the tent. After several seconds of waiting, Vexen's face lit up the screen. He was wearing goggles, so Zexion assumed he was in the middle of an experiment.

"Zexion? I'm surprised to hear from you," started The Chilly Academic.

"Don't I even warrant a hello?"

"Of course you do! How are you? How's the weather? How's the mission? How's Creeper?" Vexen replied with heavy sarcasm.

Ignoring this, Zexion went on. "I'm not doing too well, hence my call. Today, I suffered intense heart pains and maybe a heart attack.

Vexen's eyes bugged out. "A what?!"

* * *

Hey there everybody! For anyone unsure, Larxene's clone ability appeared in KH2.5 Remix in her Absent Silhouette battle. As always, a big thank you goes out to all of you who review/favorite/follow this story! You're the best!

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

Vexen's day had already been quite frustrating even before Zexion contacted him. It had started off promising enough. He had woken up rather early in order to complete one of his Nobody Spawners. He had nearly finished it the night before, and was excited to finish it. Vexen had even put on one of his favorite Hawaiian shirts (a white one adorned with black Nobody insignias) for the occasion. After all, this Spawner would be the first one completed while he was on Neverland.

However, it quickly became clear that things were not going as planned. "This goddamn piece of garbage! This shitty excuse for a Spawner! Dusk, the box!" Vexen screeched, throwing his hands in the air.

Dusk speedily brought over a rather plain looking box, setting it on the ground. With great prejudice, Vexen kicked the box. It flew through the air, and when it landed, shattered into pieces. After a few seconds of sitting there, the pieces pulled together and reformed themselves into the box again. One of Vexen's inventions, this "frustration box" had saved many an experiment from being attacked by Vexen.

"Can't get the Spawner going?" Dusk asked. He knew his job was to be the calm one when Vexen got into one of his rages.

"Oh I can get it going. But this happens!" Vexen pressed the button on the Spawner, but instead of a Nobody appearing, a Shadow Heartless appeared instead. Sighing, Vexen quickly froze the Shadow. Summoning Frozen Pride, he struck and shattered the frozen Shadow.

"Well, at least that means you're close!"

"Yes, but that's not good enough! I need to get this done as soon as possible. I've got two more of these to make! And pretty much as soon as I finish these, we can move to Phase II of our plan. Then everyone gets his or her hearts back. There are literally millions of Nobodies who are depending on me to get this done so they can get their hearts back. A lot of pressure, that's for sure!" He took some deep breaths, trying to calm down.

"We can't remember anything about our past lives," Dusk reminded Vexen. Only Organization members had any memory of their past lives. "So it's not like we're desperate to return to our human form. Therefore, there shouldn't be that much pressure."

"I suppose so." A few seconds of silence passed.

"What are you going to do when you get your heart back?" Dusk asked Vexen.

"That's a good question, Dusk. I don't even know if the Organization will still exist. After all, we were formed with the sole purpose of getting our hearts back."

"You'll just be a scientist then? Have you always been a scientist?"

"Have I been experimenting all my life? Yes, but I wasn't always a professional scientist. I used to be in politics. I was a Royal Vizier, in fact!"

Dusk could tell by Vexen's tone of voice that his tenure as a vizier didn't end amicably. "What happened?"

Vexen sighed. "I found that science and mathematics were easier to control than hearts and minds of men. So I walked away. But I don't dwell on the past. Retrieve my goggles, Dusk. I'm going to open up the box and take a look." Dusk did so, and Vexen put them on. "All right, let's see why you're being so difficult."

Vexen removed the lid and was about to look inside when something started chirping. "Someone's calling?" Vexen hit a button on the table, which brought up a hologram projection screen with The Cloaked Schemer on it.

* * *

"It's true! The pain was so bad that I passed out," Zexion explained.

"And you don't think it's your…"

"I don't know! It could be my heart, you never know," Zexion interrupted.

"That seems unlikely, considering you don't have one. Let me do a scan of you. I'm sending you a chip to insert into your watch." Vexen opened a Portal of Darkness and sent the chip through.

Zexion received the chip. He pressed a button on the watch and a compartment popped out. He placed the chip in and shut the compartment. "What's this supposed to do?"

"It will allow me to do a scan of your internals." He pressed a button on his table. "It should only take a few seconds." The scan completed and Vexen looked at the results. He frowned, disappointed that he didn't find anything unusual. "Hmm…everything looks normal. No heartbeat, of course."

"How peculiar."

"Indeed. Tell me, was there anything similar between the two attacks?" Vexen asked as he raised his eyebrow.

Zexion thought back to the instances. "They occurred in similar situations, as I recall."

"And what were said situations?" Vexen pressed, leaning forward.

Vexen knew nothing of Zexion's crush on Larxene, and Zexion had no intention to spill the beans. Because of that, he had to choose his words very carefully. "They were moments of intense…emotion."

"Intense emotion? Be more specific." Vexen wasn't one to mince words, that was for sure.

"Well, um, strong emotions of…" Zexion was clearly struggling in attempting to explain.

Seeing Zexion blush gave Vexen the clue he needed to understand what Zexion was trying to say. "You mean thoughts of love?" Zexion nodded his head meekly. "Oh ho! You've fallen in love with one of the denizens of your planet, haven't you?"

Zexion was instantly relieved that Vexen had jumped to the wrong conclusion. "Correct."

"This is fascinating! Heart pains as a result of love emotions? What could it mean? The possibilities are endless!" Zexion had rarely seen Vexen as excited as he was now. Realizing that he could hypothesize later, Vexen returned his attention to Zexion. "Now, don't worry about losing her. When you and Larxene are about to leave and destroy the planet, just take her with you. She might have some reservations about it, but you can explain later. No problem. Don't use the word 'kidnapping' though." He waved his hand, realizing that he was babbling on. "In the meantime, I will be able to monitor your vitals whenever. If you have another attack, it should register now on the scan." Vexen was talking pretty fast at this point, and Zexion was having difficulty keeping up.

"That's all?"

"Yep. Good luck with everything and we'll be in touch soon." With that, Vexen ended the transmission before Zexion could even respond. "Dusk, do you know what this means? This means that we may have tangible evidence for my hypothesis. The correlation between strong emotions and hearts may be stronger than I thought."

Just then, a Samurai Nobody came up to Vexen. "Excuse me, sir, but I thought I should let you know that several boats have left the pirate ship and appear to be heading towards our location."

Vexen tilted his head, interested. "Is that so? I'll investigate myself. Thank you." The Samurai bowed his head and returned to his sentry post. Vexen walked the few steps over to his house and then went around the back of the house to see. Sure enough, there were four dinghies coming towards the island. "Probably Captain Hook's men," Vexen told to Dusk, who had just came over.

"Hey there, Even!" a girl's voice called out. Vexen turned his head to look down at the lagoon, where he saw Marina waving. He gave her a wave, and then the two headed down to go greet the little mermaid (but not that Little Mermaid).

"Hello Marina!" Dusk greeted (he was always more cheerful than Vexen).

"What'cha doing?" she asked.

"Well, I've spent most of the day working on a machine," Vexen began.

"Problem is, he can't get it to work," Dusk chimed in.

"I think there's something wrong with the projectoimagestasioelectrosynthomagnetic knob," Vexen explained. Marina and Dusk both looked at him with confused looks on their face, as they had no idea what Vexen was talking about. He sighed, realizing they hadn't followed along.

"I'm not sure what that is, but maybe you just have to take it out and put it back in," Marina suggested.

Vexen chuckled his shrill laugh. "Oh yes, I'm sure that will work wonders." Fortunately, Marina was still to young to always get sarcasm, so that statement went right over her head.

"Look what I found today!" Marina exclaimed. She held up a gold coin that sparkled in the sunlight. "I was just swimming around and I found this on the ocean floor. Pretty cool, huh!"

"Very cool," said Dusk. He was far better at engaging children than Vexen was.

"Could be one of Captain Hook's," Vexen offered.

Marina's eyes bulged as a frightened look came upon her face. "What if it is? What if he comes after me to get it back?"

Dusk shook his head. "Very unlikely. Captain Hook wouldn't even know he lost it."

"I don't know, Earl. Captain Hook and his men are sailing towards us as we speak. Perhaps they are here for the coin," Vexen teased.

"Captain H-Hook's coming?" Marina stammered. "I need to get home right away!"

Sensing the girl's fear, Vexen quickly tried to backtrack. "I'm just kidding, Marina, he's not coming here for that."

"That's not what he's here for," Dusk added.

"Doesn't matter. My mom said to stay away from Captain Hook. He's dangerous," Marina explained.

"He's not that bad," Vexen said. "I'd say we're friends with him, even."

"You're friends with Captain Hook?" Marina asked, recoiling from them. "I gotta go!" With that, she dove under the water.

Dusk turned to Vexen. "Now look what you did. You went and scared the poor girl! She might never come back!"

"That could have went better," Vexen admitted.

"You should be ashamed of yourself."

"I'm sorry! I have difficulty communicating with children. I'm used to having conversations were more mature people!" Vexen snapped.

However, there was no time to continue arguing with Dusk, as the pirates were nearly upon the island. "Ahoy there!" a voice called out. Vexen and Dusk proceeded to go to the shore, where they could await the pirates' arrival.

"What do you think they are here for?" Vexen quietly asked Dusk.

"No idea. There are certainly a lot of them, though."

After another minute or two, the dinghies arrived on shore, with Captain Hook stepping off the first boat. "Even. Good to see you again," he greeted. Turning to Dusk, he added, "You as well, Mr…"

Sensing Hook didn't remember his name, Dusk helped him out. "Earl."

"Ah, yes, Earl."

"What brings you to our humble abode, Captain?" Vexen asked.

"We're looking for Peter Pan's hideout," Hook explained as he continued onshore, followed by the pair. Vexen had heard all about Peter Pan from (a mostly drunk) Hook when the two had initially met. They hadn't crossed paths since.

"Very good."

"What exactly are you building in this area?" Hook asked while tugging at his mustache with his hook. Vexen knew that the base building was definitely visible from the Jolly Roger, but had hoped that Hook wouldn't investigate it too thoroughly.

"A proper laboratory for my scientific research. My portable lab can only suffice for so long," Vexen lied (Probably better than saying it was a base designed to bring the planet's downfall).

"And who is doing the constructing?" Hook asked as they continued along.

"Others of Earl's species," Vexen replied.

At this point, the pirates, Vexen, and Dusk had reached the two Samurai sentries. "Most impressive," Hook noted.

One of the pirates went up to a Samurai and started touching him. "'Tis the strangest thing?"

Hook shook his head in annoyance. "Oh, stop that," he commanded. "I'm terribly sorry," Hook said to Vexen.

The pirate did not stop, instead noting the swords he saw. "Look, this creature here has swords. Let me take a look," the pirate said and reached for the sword. The Samurai stood there, unsure what to do. He turned to Vexen, looking for guidance.

However, Vexen did not have to say anything, as Hook pulled out his pistol and shot the pirate. The pirate fell to the ground, dead. All of the other pirates immediately straightened up, not wanting to be the next victim. Vexen was shocked by the act, but was able to conceal his feelings. "I'm sure you have quite the formidable force of these aliens. Perhaps you would be willing to assist me in my quest to find Pan's hideout?" Hook asked.

Vexen wanted to say no, as he had more important things to do. Then again, the man who asked had just shot one of his men in cold blood, so Vexen had that to consider as well. Thus, Vexen crafted his answer as carefully as possible. "While I'm sure my force would be helpful, I must decline, as that would be meddling in a world's affairs. As an interworld traveler, I try to avoid that whenever possible. I've already interfered in your events once." He was, of course, referring to his saving of Hook, something that Hook certainly hadn't forgotten. He then awaited Hook's reaction, cringing on the inside.

Hook paused, before nodding with a smile. "Aye, that's right. You are a man of honor, Even, and I appreciate that. Good form." Hook then turned to his men. "Onwards, you dogs!" He tipped his hat to Vexen. "Until next time." Then he led his pirates past Vexen's home and into the jungle.

Once the pirates were out of earshot, Vexen sighed a breath of relief.

"We lucked out there," said Dusk.

"That we did," said Vexen, his eyes drifting to the dead pirate.

"I'll go get some Dusks to get this out of here," replied Dusk as he pointed to the body. He then set off.

Vexen wandered back over to his lab table, where the Spawner was still sitting. He put his goggles on and located the projectoimagestasioelectrosynthomagnetic knob. He shook his head, before he removed the knob. He then put the knob back in place. He shut the lid on the box. "That's not going to work," he grumbled to himself. He pressed the button and, to his amazement, a Dusk spawned in front of him. "Well, I'll be damned," he said with a chuckle, "she was right after all."

* * *

Hey there everybody! Yay, Part 20 is done! I'm thinking that puts this story at about the half-way point. As always, thanks to everyone reading/reviewing/following the story; you guys are awesome! In the next installment, we'll see how the Tournament at the Coliseum is going.

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would pretty cool!).

* * *

A few days had passed, which meant that another round of the Dionysus Tournament was to take place at the Olympic Coliseum. Roxas hadn't seen much of Xion since the last round. She was almost never in her room, but was instead constantly training for the tournament. And when he did see her, she seemed a bit irritated.

"Demyx, have you noticed anything different about Xion?" Roxas asked.

Demyx, who had the dubious distinction of being just as clueless as Roxas, wasn't sure either. "I don't know, man. I don't really see much of her. I know she's been training a lot, so Lexaeus might know. Maybe you could talk to him about it?"

"I probably should."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, though. Everyone's been acting a little funny since like half the Organization left." The Organization had been together for a long time now, and missions of this length were never assigned before. Thus, the Castle That Never Was had never been this empty before.

"Yeah."

"But hey, that means I don't get yelled at as much, so I'm cool with that."

"Demyx," a new voice called out. Roxas and Demyx turned to see Lexaeus entering the Grey Area.

"I spoke too soon," Demyx muttered. "Yes?" he called out.

"The Superior told me to remind you that he wants to see what progress you've made on the Organization's anthem tomorrow." Seeing Demyx's fearful reaction, he furrowed his brow. "You have made progress, correct?"

Demyx's eyes darted around. "Yes…yes I have. Speaking of that, I've gotta go." Demyx dashed off to his room, no doubt to furiously prepare for his meeting the next day.

Lexaeus sighed, shaking his head. "Roxas. How is the tournament going?"

"I'm still in, so that's good." That drew a gruff laugh from Lexaeus. "I have to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"Have you noticed anything unusual about Xion recently?"

Lexaeus nodded his head. "She's been training a lot more. She seems to be more focused on the tournament."

"That's what I thought. It's just that-" Roxas stopped upon seeing Xion enter the Grey Area.

"Another productive round?" Lexaeus asked her.

"Meh. It was fine," she responded.

Sensing that it was his time to leave, Lexaeus disappeared in a Portal of Darkness, leaving the pair.

"Hey there, Xion," Roxas greeted with a little wave.

"Hi Roxas. Ready for the tournament tomorrow?" She gave him a weary smile, undoubtedly tired from all of her training, but wanting to show her happiness to see him.

"I think so." There was an awkward pause. "So you've been training a lot recently…" Once again, he paused. "You know, Lexaeus recently taught me how to use my Final Limit. Maybe he could teach you, too."

"Roxas, I've known about my Final Limit for a long time now." But once she saw Roxas' disappointed reaction, she backed off. "But thanks for the thought, Roxas," she said, falsely brightening up to keep up appearances. "Come on, let's go get something to eat."

That seemed to cheer up Roxas.

* * *

Naminé offered to go see Roxas (and to a lesser, much lesser, extent, Xion) compete in the next round of the tournament. This only fueled Xion's desire to perform as well as possible for the tournament.

They three of them arrived at the Coliseum, with Roxas and Naminé stopping by Phil first.

"Hey, there's my champ. How's it going, Roxas, ready to roll today?" the trainer asked.

"I think so, Phil. I'm feeling good."

Noticing Naminé, Phil prodded, "And who is this?"

"This is Naminé. She's a friend of mine."

"You've got your own cheering section now, huh? Atta boy! Now you need to go warm up. Can't have you going in cold, now can we?"

"You got it, Phil." Roxas headed off, trailed by Naminé.

"Tournament groupies. Gotta love them," Phil muttered to himself.

* * *

Hades was up in his booth scanning around the crowd until he found Xion. "There's our little blackbird," he said to himself. Noticing her talking to Roxas, his interest was piqued. He had seen her converse with Roxas before, so he knew that he wasn't a stranger to her. "Who is this guy? Boys!" he called out, and Pain and Panic appeared.

"What is it Your Most Evilness?" Pain asked.

"I want you to go find out everything you can about that runt Xion is talking to. I've seen him a few times now. Get me his name."

"What exactly are you looking for?" Panic questioned.

"I don't know yet. But this could provide me with just the thing I need to seal the deal. Now go!" he growled. His minions obeyed and disappeared. "Time for me to check in with her myself."

Xion was stretching as part of her warm-ups when she heard someone behind her. "I figured you'd be stopping by today," she said, not needing to see who it was.

"Well, duh! I always want to check up on my little superstar and make sure she's all set. Feeling good today, kid?" Hades asked as he walked around to her front.

"I think so."

"This is good. Confidence is good. I've got so much riding on you that I would hate to see you fail."

Xion said nothing.

"Now, just to be safe, I think I could give ya a little boost today," Hades offered.

"I don't want your help," Xion quickly shot back.

"I know, I know, you want to do it all on your own; I get that. But, let's just say, and this is definitely a possibility, that you struggle against your competition, huh? Would you rather me help you, or be knocked out of the tournament? It's not like it's cheating, it's like…training. Trust me, I know a thing or two about training."

Xion squinted her eyes at Hades. "So that's it, huh? That's your angle. You want to be my trainer instead of Phil. Don't like him?"

"Let's just say, he gets my goat." That statement caused Xion to roll her eyes. "Okay, that was a bad one."

Xion stood up. "I've got to go, do you have anything important for me?"

"Here's the deal, sweetheart. If you decide you need my help, you just shoot off a fire spell. You can cast a fire spell, right?"

"Of course."

"Good, if you send off a fire spell, I'll help you out."

"Fine. Although I know I won't need it," Xion remarked. With that, she walked past Hades, done with the conversation.

"Go get 'em tiger. Wouldn't want to disappoint me…or your boyfriend for that matter," he called out.

Xion froze, then turned around, but Hades had already disappeared. She swore she heard the echo of him laughing.

* * *

Once again, Roxas' fight was before Xion's, so Phil worked with Roxas before the fight. As soon as Roxas had left, two short centaurs, one pink and one blue, walked near Phil, pretending to talk to each other.

"You know, I simply can't decide who I should pick today," the pink one began, clearly loud enough for Phil to hear.

"Isn't that boy with the spiky hair competing today?" the blue one replied.

"He's been doing well, hasn't he? But if I don't know his name, then I can't put any money on him today. Do you remember his name?" the pink one asked. Phil had been eavesdropping on their conversation, recognizing that the two (supposed) centaurs were talking about Roxas.

"Hey guys, excuse me, but I think I know who you're talking about," Phil butted in. The two centaurs turned to him. "You're talking about Roxas. He's one of my kids."

"You're his father?" the blue one asked, a concerned looked appearing on his face.

"No no no! I mean I'm his trainer. He's one of my entries in the tournament."

"He has been doing well. Congrats to you, pal. I think I'll put some money on him," the pink one replied. The blue one nodded and the two headed off, leaving a content Phil.

As soon as they were out of Phil's sight, the centaurs turned back into Pain and Panic. "What a performance!" Pain crowed.

"I think I played a sophisticated gentleman centaur rather well," Panic gushed.

Pain nodded his agreement and rubbed his hands together. "Roxas, huh? The boss will be pleased."

* * *

Soon, it was time for Roxas' match. Naminé was in the stands, waiting to cheer on her friend. Fortunately for her, Xion was warming up, so she wasn't watching from the stands. This meant that the two friends (frenemies?) wouldn't have to sit next to each other while watching Roxas fight. Naminé was very nervous for the fight, but not for Roxas. She had decided that if he should be victorious today, she was going to kiss him on the cheek when she saw him after the match. It was just bold enough of a move for her to try it, no matter how scared she was. She had been sitting in the stands for the last ten minutes attempting to calm herself down in anticipation.

Roxas walked out into the arena and was greeted by the cheers of the denizens of the Coliseum. Naminé cheered as loud as she could, eager to see her hero vanquish his foes. His opponent appeared in the arena, a massive Behemoth Heartless. The crowd oohed and aahed at the size of the massive beast.

"He might be a big one, kid, but you can take him down!" Phil called out from the sidelines.

The match then began. Roxas immediately charged at the Behemoth and swung his Keyblade at the legs of the creature. However, the hits had no effect on the great beast. It stomped its feet, sending a shockwave that hit Roxas.

"You have to hit the horn, kid!" Phil called. "Get up on the Behemoth's back!"

Roxas obliged, and was soon on top of the great purple beast. He immediately started attacking the horn. The Behemoth could seemingly do nothing to shake him free. He just stomped around while Roxas attacked the horn. The crowd cheered for Roxas as he made quick work of the horn. After enough hits to the horn, the Behemoth reared up. Roxas jumped off and landed safely. The Behemoth then crashed into the ground, defeated, and then disappeared.

A large heart floated up into the air and disappeared also. "That's one big heart," Roxas said to himself as he watched. The Coliseum went crazy as the spectators cheered for Roxas' quick and decisive victory.

Up in his box, Hades politely clapped for Roxas. "It's almost like that Heartless was too weak to even put up a decent fight," he said to himself. The dark laugh after indicated he was behind it (of course). Pain and Panic appeared.

"I hope that's what you wanted, Lord Hades, because that Heartless went down pretty fast," Panic said.

"Oh, it was. Did you get his name for me?" Hades asked.

"We did. It's Roxas, and Phil is training him too."

"Roxas, huh? Excellent."

Roxas exited the arena, where both Phil and Xion were waiting for him. "Good work, Roxas! You made mince-meat of that oversized cow," said Phil.

"Great job, Roxas. I hope I can do as well as you just did," Xion told him with a big smile on her face. Although she really wanted to do well, she was more than happy to cheer for Roxas to do just as well.

Roxas smiled at her. "I have faith in you. Now go get 'em." She nodded and then headed into the arena to get ready for her match.

Naminé arrived and approached Roxas. "You were so great!" she told him. Before he could respond and before she lost her confidence, she quickly pecked him on the cheek.

"Th…thanks," Roxas was able to get out, his face becoming flushed.

Naminé was pleased with his reaction, but her face was flushed as well. In order to move on quickly, she told him, "Let's head to the stands so we can watch Xion."

* * *

Xion was more than eager to get her match on. She'd been training exceptionally hard for the last couple weeks in preparation for this moment. She was focused and determined to win this match. Her opponent was revealed to be three Invisible and one Angel Star Heartless. She nodded, happy that she had to fight multiple Heartless with weaker health than one giant Heartless.

She immediately focused on the Angel Star, but as she jumped up to hit it, its wings had closed around, invalidating her Keyblade strikes. Knowing that she could not continue to strike the protected Angel Star while the Invisibles made their move, she gave up on the Angel Star and went to strike at the Invisibles.

They were very hard to hit, she quickly found, but she was able to land a few hits on them. While attacking them, she got hit by some orbs sent from the Angel Star. The attack sent her tumbling to the ground. One of the Invisibles stabbed his sword into the ground and disappeared in a swirl.

"Stay out of the swirly ring!" Phil called out. "Take them down one at a time."

Heeding his advice, Xion ran around to avoid the swirly circle of death. She locked eyes with a certain Invisible and focused on attacking him. She chased him around the arena as the other Heartless followed her. Landing several hits on him, she was finally able to destroy it, leaving only two Invisibles left. She decided to surprise attack the Angel Star, but found that it was already in defense position.

"What unfortunate luck," Hades purred as he watch her struggle with the overpowered Heartless. "It's almost like it knew the attack was coming."

An Invisible scored a hit in on Xion as she had turned to the Angel Star. She spun to swing her Keyblade at it, but the other Invisible attacked her, hitting her. The three Heartless saw their opening, and began to attack her at the same time. She had no defense, and had to run away from them.

However, they chased her far faster than any other Heartless she had ever encountered did. She had lost her mojo and was now just scrambling for survival. A quick decision of what her new strategy would be was necessitated.

Hades had been eagerly awaiting this moment and he grinned in anticipation of Xion's next move.

Determined to win at all costs, she cast a fire spell at one of the Invisibles. "You got it," she heard the voice of Hades say.

"Not the strategy I would use kid, but if you think magic will work…" was Phil's response to her fire spell.

Xion swore she felt herself become more powerful and she decided to renew her attack. She swung at one of the Invisibles and connected. Remarkably, the Invisible disappeared, destroyed. That caused the other two Heartless to retreat, but Xion hunted them down. She then made quick work of the last Invisible. The crowd roared in approval. Full of confidence now, she strolled over to the Angel Star, which immediately went into its defense position. She swung down at the Heartless as hard as she could, and the Keyblade broke through the defense and destroyed the Angel Star.

The stunning victory made the crowd go wild. Xion received a standing ovation from the spectators, as they loved her underdog, comeback victory. Xion waved to the crowd, filled with pride.

She stepped out of the arena, to find an overjoyed Phil and Roxas. Naminé was present too, a fake smile plastered on her face.

"I'm not sure exactly what adjustment you made, but you finished that battle amazingly! Great job!" Phil exclaimed.

"You were pretty awesome," Roxas agreed.

"Mmhm," was Naminé's succinct addition.

"I've got to go deal with some scheduling stuff, but I'll see you both at your next training days," Phil said. "Great work today, both of you." He then waddled off, yelling at some poor worker about him slacking on the job.

"Let's go back home," Roxas said.

It was then that Naminé realized that she didn't have her purse. "I left my bag in the stands. We have to go get it first!"

"I'll go with you" Roxas answered. The two headed off to retrieve the bag. Xion knew who would then arrive.

Hades then appeared in front of Xion, clapping for her. "Well done indeed," he began.

"What did you do to me?" she asked.

"Nothing, really," he said (which wasn't actually incorrect, as he had only weakened the Heartless and did nothing to Xion specifically). "Just gave you a preview of your true potential."

"I felt so powerful," she mused.

"Trust me, there's plenty more where that came from," he offered. "You can have more power beyond your imagination."

"I'll think about it," she replied.

"As you should. I'll see you around," he finished. He then disappeared in a cloud of smoke, content that she was inching closer to his web.

Roxas and Naminé came back with the bag. "Let's head back to The Castle That Never Was and celebrate our victories," Roxas said.

Xion smiled a genuine smile. "Sounds good!" Naminé opened up a Portal of Darkness and the three went inside to head back home.

* * *

Hey there everybody, I'm back! I sincerely apologize for my long absence on this piece. It is NOT discontinued by any means, and with any luck, I'll be able to put a few more chapters up soon. Thank you for being patient with me and welcome to any new readers! As always, your input is greatly appreciated!

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

Two days had passed since the rescue of Mr. Toad at Toad Hall. Luxord had been desperately trying to get into contact with Jessica Rabbit, but had been unable to do so. He had repeatedly called Jessica and Roger's home phone, as well as Jessica's cell phone, but he only got the answering machine. Clearly, she did not want to speak to him, and he knew it.

"Honestly, I don't see why this upsets you so much," Marluxia commented to Luxord. "If I hadn't intervened and we hadn't used our powers, you and Jessica would be dead. And she was bound to find out sooner or later." Marluxia seemed indifferent to the entire situation.

"I know, I know. I just didn't want it to be this way. She deserved better," replied the melancholy Luxord.

"You do know she's married?" Marluxia asked, squinting his eyes at Luxord. "You were trying to find her husband," he patronized.

Luxord shot Marluxia a sharp glance. "Of course I know that. I don't have any romantic feelings for her. I just feel that I've let her down terribly."

"If you feel so strongly about it, you could have Naminé called in. She could easily wipe Jessica's memory," the Graceful Assassin offered.

"I would feel bad about doing that. She doesn't deserve that either."

"Still has a conscience after all these years." Luxord didn't answer. "Well, I wouldn't stress too much about it. Don't forget the real reason we are here. We have a mission to do. Actually, it might be better this way. You know what's going to happen to her anyways," Marluxia reminded. He then left Luxord's office to ascend to his own.

Marluxia had a point. The destruction of Toontopia would lead to Jessica and Roger (wherever he was) losing their hearts. Luxord had not reconciled this at all, and the case had been taking up all of his attention, perhaps to not think about that very fact.

He picked up his phone and pressed a button. "Gambler, has Jessica called back?"

"You do realize I'm one room away?" he heard the muffled voice of Gambler call out.

"Well, of course, but this way you don't have to shout like an imbecile," Luxord snapped back.

Gambler ignored this. "She hasn't responded. She obviously sees your number and doesn't take the call," Gambler said.

"I guess so." Suddenly, Luxord hatched an idea. "Gambler, come into the office." He put the phone down, and seconds later Gambler entered.

"What do you need?" a suspicious Gambler asked.

"You've got a cell phone now, right?"

"Yeah. They're pretty handy, I must say. I can check all of the betting lines from here," Gambler replied.

"Let me call Jessica from your phone. She won't recognize your number, so she might answer it."

"Don't most people not answer calls from numbers they don't know?" a confused Gambler asked.

"It's got to be a better chance than my number. Now, the question is, is luck on our side?"

Gambler handed him his phone. "It usually is."

Luxord put in Jessica's cell number and dialed. It rang several times before Jessica picked up.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Jessica, it's me, Luxord. I-"

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Hold on, please listen. I know that I messed up and that I've got a lot of explaining to do. But please let me explain. And let me help you find Roger. That's still my goal here; nothing has changed," Luxord pleaded.

There was a silence on the phone, and Luxord wondered if she had hung up on him. Finally, she sighed. "I'll be at your office in an hour," she replied, before immediately hanging up.

"Well?" Gambler asked.

"I've got a chance. She's coming by in an hour," Luxord explained.

"That's all we gamblers need, isn't it?"

"I suppose so," the Gambler of Fate mused.

* * *

True to her word, an hour later Jessica Rabbit stepped into the former McDuck tower. "Hello Gambler," she greeted.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Rabbit," Gambler answered. "Luxord is in his office, waiting for you."

"How are the other cases going?" she asked. Jessica wasn't upset at Gambler; she knew that he just did what he was told.

Gambler looked at her with an inquisitive look, tilting his head. "Other cases?"

"Surely you must have other cases beside finding my husband," Jessica explained.

"Nope. Not a one."

"Oh. Okay." She then headed into Luxord's office. She found him seated at his desk, reading a book. "Reading something interesting?" she asked, asserting her presence in the room.

"J-Jessica, I didn't hear you come in, my apologies." He rose to pull out her chair for her opposite his desk.

"I hope that's not the only apologizing you'll be doing," Jessica responded with sass, sitting down.

"No, no, of course not." Jessica could tell that Luxord was a bit flustered, which told her that he was sincere. "Allow me to make a statement and then I'll answer any questions you might have. Yes, my name is Luxord. I'm not a detective, but here on behalf of an Organization. I cannot discuss what I'm actually doing here. Yes, I have…special abilities. However, I am firmly committed to helping you find your husband."

She nodded. "Tell me about your abilities."

"I can control time, summon card and dice weapons at will, and teleport. He opened a Portal of Darkness and stepped in. At the end of the room, a Portal of Darkness opened and he stepped out, proving his point. "But you cannot travel with me through these portals." He returned to his chair and sat down.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"I was afraid that you were going to react poorly. And I'm supposed to be keeping a low profile while I'm here."

"So this detective business is all a cover?" she pressed.

"At the beginning, yes. But then I became dedicated to doing this job correctly. And I intend to see it through. You might hate me now, and that's fine. You never have to see me again after this, but I'm going to find Roger for you first. I'm a man of my word."

She pursed her lips. "Now that I know, you can use your powers to help find him?"

"Well, I've been using my powers, but only out of your sight. So, I really don't have anything new to bring to the table. I hope you can forgive me and we can move on."

Now was the moment of truth. Jessica was not upset that he wielded powers, but that he hadn't been completely honest with her, especially the fact that he wasn't a detective at all. "You have tried your best. I'll give you two days more, but then I'm going to the police. What leads do you have now?"

"Well, um, I have nothing currently. What about you?"

She scoffed at him. "That's great work, Detective. I've got nothing either. I think we're at a dead end."

At that moment, Gambler opened the door. "Excuse me, but I've got a letter here for you."

"A letter for me?" Luxord asked. "How?"

Gambler shrugged. "Don't know. Found it outside sticking out of the mailbox. Kind of creepy looking." He handed Luxord the letter and headed out.

The letter looked to be straight out of a museum or time capsule. It looked ancient, grimy, and was sealed with wax. Luxord carefully opened the letter. He proceeded to read aloud its contents.

 _Dear Detective Luxord,_

 _We seek your assistance in a matter of great importance. Normally, we are bald, but circumstances have now given us a single hare. We shall await your presence at Gracey Manor. We're all dying to meet you._

The letter was unsigned. "Gracey Manor? Where's that?" Luxord asked.

"It's an old mansion out in the countryside. No one ever goes there. There are rumors that it's haunted. What do they mean by having a hair? Do they want a haircut?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Perhaps." Luxord looked at the letter again and then something clicked. "Wait, no. Not hair, as in a stand of hair, but it's spelled hare, as in a rabbit."

"Roger!" she exclaimed.

"My thoughts exactly."

"Someone's holding him at Gracey Manor. We've got no time to lose," she said, leaping up.

"It could be trap," he warned.

"That's why you're coming with me. You should be able to keep me safe just fine," she pointed out.

"Very well. Gambler!" he called. The Nobody returned. "Is Marluxia here?"

"Nope. He left to go visit a Trader Sam like ten minutes ago. No idea when he'll be back."

"Well, then you get to come with us. We're off to Gracey Manor. Now how exactly do we get there?" Luxord asked Jessica.

"There's only one way. And it's not very speedy."

* * *

Luxord found himself waiting at Walter Elias Train Station along with Gambler and Jessica. Their train was supposed to arrive ten minutes ago, but it had not.

"This line never runs on time," Jessica explained.

For someone like Luxord, though, even being a second late was exceptionally irritating. This makes sense, considering that Luxord was the Lord of Time. "There it is," said Luxord, seeing the train chug on in. "And it's got a face, too."

"You've been in Toontopia a while now. You should be used to that," Jessica retorted.

The train, Casey Jr., slowed to a stop, allowing the three to board. "All aboard, let's go!" the train whistle sounded. The train was at one point very colorful, but the bright colors had certainly faded over the years.

"Since the Monorail was installed, this line has significantly decreased in popularity. But we get to take it because it goes to Ravenswood," Jessica told her companions.

The train progressed at a slow, but steady pace for about an hour, as it left the inner city and moved into the countryside. Finally, it approached a rather large hill.

Jessica saw Luxord's worried look. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure if this train can make it up this hill," he said.

"I think it can," she replied with a smirk on her face.

Immediately after, Luxord heard someone saying "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…"

"Is that the train?" Gambler asked.

"That's Casey," Jessica affirmed.

"I think I can, I think I can," the train continued as it struggled to the apex of the hill. Finally, it reached the top. "I thought I could, I thought I could," it exclaimed as it headed down the hill.

"That was quite an ordeal," Luxord commented.

The journey lasted another twenty minutes until Casey Jr. finally pulled into Ravenswood Station. The station was in a general state of disrepair (a generous description), with the paint mostly peeled off of the wood.

"Not a great looking station," The Gambler of Fate stated.

"Agreed. No one ever gets off here, because the only reason to get off would be to visit Gracey Manor," said Jessica.

"And no one goes there," Luxord finished.

"Exactly."

"You said this place was haunted?" Gambler asked.

"That's what the rumors say," Jessica answered.

"Fantastic," Gambler replied, apprehensive about the whole endeavor.

The three headed from Ravenswood Station, following a path that led them to Gracey Manor. The manor was a large brick building that seemed to be very well kept (on the exterior, at least).

"Looks pretty good for being a deserted place," Gambler commented.

"Hello?" a new voice called out. Coming from the side of the house appeared an older looking man and his dog. Both were rather thin, and the man carried a shovel.

"Good afternoon," Luxord greeted the man.

"Are you Detective Luxord?" the man asked.

"Indeed I am. Did you write the letter to me?"

"Me? Goodness no. I'm Paul, the caretaker here at Gracey Manor. The folks inside wrote to you, and I just mailed the letter," he explained. "Allow me to lead you into the foyer."

"Thank you," said Jessica.

Paul led them to the front door and then opened it. "Here you go."

Gambler peeked his head in the door. "There's no one in here."

"They'll be along, I have no doubt," said Paul.

"Will you wait inside with us?" Luxord asked.

"Oh no. I rarely step into the foyer myself and never any farther than that. Good luck."

Seeing there was nothing else to do, the three stepped in and Paul closed the door behind them. The room was very dark, but then a few candles lit themselves.

"Did those candles just-" Gambler began.

"Yes," Luxord responded.

Suddenly, a new voice called out. "Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion."

"Who's there? Jessica called out.

"I am your host. Your Ghost Host," the voice called out, followed by a dark chuckle. "We're been waiting for you." Suddenly, one of the wall panels slid open, revealing another room. "Kindly step all the way in please."

"Where's Roger? What have you done with him?" Jessica asked, getting right to the point.

"Our tour begins here in this gallery where you see paintings of some of our guests as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal state," the Ghost Host explained, ignoring Jessica. Indeed, the three found themselves staring at four large painting adorning the room, surround by gargoyles holding candles.

Suddenly, the room started to change. The portraits started to elongate.

"Is this room actually stretching, or is it just my imagination?" a concerned Gambler asked.

"Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis," the Ghost Host continued.

Gambler turned around, and realized that the wall panel had sealed behind them. "Uh, guys, the wall closed behind us. And this chamber has no windows and no doors, so how are we going to get out?"

"Of course, there's always my way," the Ghost Host offered. The room then plunged into darkness excepting for the ceiling, which lightened to reveal a hung corpse. Jessica (and Gambler, although he wouldn't admit it) screamed. The light then returned, but now the ceiling had darkened to once again hide the corpse.

"Oh, I didn't mean to frighten you prematurely; the real chills come later. Now, as they say, look alive, and we'll continue." A different wall panel slid open. "We must go see Madame Leota. She'll be expecting us," the Ghost Host added.

"What exactly is this place?" Luxord questioned. "And who is Madame Leota?"

"This mansion functions as a retirement home. There are several prominent ghosts who have retired here from creepy old crypts from all over the world. Actually, we have 999 happy haunts here, but there's room for a thousand. Any volunteers?" No one responded, but continued in silence for a few more paces. "If you insist on lagging behind, you may not need to volunteer," the Ghost Host replied, darkly chuckling. The trio continued to pass through seemingly endless hallways, wondering when they would exactly reach this Madame Leota. The atmosphere was too creepy to warrant saying anything; they were simply mesmerized to stay quiet and follow the Ghost Host's voice.

"We find it delightfully unlivable here in this ghostly retreat. Every room has wall-to-wall creeps, and hot and cold running chills," droned the Ghost Host. They traveled a few more paces until the Ghost Host told them, "Stop. We have arrived."

A door slowly creaked open. "Shall we?" Luxord asked his two partners.

"I don't think we have much of a choice," Jessica replied.

The three then headed into the room to find Madame Leota.

* * *

Hey there everybody! I know I normally post on Fridays, but my flight got in late last night, so you get a rare Saturday post instead! As always, thank you to all readers, commenters, and those who favorite/follow this work! I'll see you in two weeks with an update on the state of affairs in Lothal.

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

The two rebels and two Organization members had spent the last couple days hiding out in the abandoned house on Lothal. Every now and then, a supply run was necessitated. Since Axel and Xigbar were not well known (yet), unlike Ezra and Sabine, it was decided that one of them would venture out to buy some food at a market and then come right back. Of course, they were aided by the fact that they could step out the door, use a Portal of Darkness to get near the market, pick up the food, and portal back. The lack of exposure was working very well so far.

Today, it was Axel's turn to head out and retrieve supplies. After saying goodbye to his three companions, he headed out the door. Walking a few steps away (which put him behind a corner), he opened up a Portal of Darkness. "Man, these are convenient," he said to himself. He was now wearing his Organization cloak over his clothes in order to be more anonymous. It definitely made sense to wear the hood so he could hide his hair. As Xigbar had said, "With that ball of fire on your head, a blind guy could spot you."

He exited the Portal in another alley right near the market. The goal today was to purchase some meilooruns, a delectable Lothal fruit. Purchasing six, he was prepared to head back when he saw a nearby stall selling some art supplies.

Over the last few days, the Organization members had gotten to know Sabine and Ezra well, as there wasn't a whole lot to do otherwise. Sabine had told Axel all about her love of art. Although he would never admit it, he definitely liked the girl, noticing that she had pretty brown eyes. His thoughts dwelled to her before he snapped himself out of it, as he reminded himself that he was dating Larxene. However, he realized that he hadn't thought much about her lately. Besides, Xigbar would ridicule him to death (or worse) if he found out what he thought about Sabine. In addition, he figured she had to be pretty young, nineteen at the oldest, but probably younger.

Age is a tricky business when it comes to Organization XIII. Nobodies do not age at all, so it is hard to determine their age. Axel had become a Nobody at twenty-five and had been a Nobody for five years. Thus, he looked twenty-five, but was actually thirty. It was all very confusing, that was for sure.

Deciding that he needed to kill some time anyways to avoid arousing suspicion, he meandered over to the stand. "How much for the brush, paints, and paper?" he asked the merchant.

"Eh, thirty credits for the lot," the Rodian merchant responded.

Axel thought that price seemed rather high, but didn't despair. He and Xigbar were absolutely loaded with credits as the Organization had equipped them with a briefcase chock full of credits. Axel had no idea where they procured the credits, but he didn't dare ask. "Alright, you got it." He fished out the thirty credits and paid the merchant.

Axel whistled to himself as he wandered through the rest of the market in an attempt to waste time. However, he saw a commotion up ahead. Two stormtroopers and an Imperial officer were also walking though the market, harassing citizens.

"Have you seen either of these two?" the officer asked a merchant forcefully, shoving a datapad in his face. "Well, have you?" The merchant shook his head. "Remember, it is your duty to do so if you do see them."

Axel was curious as to whether the two being shown were Sabine and Ezra (which is what he expected) or Xigbar and himself. He dodged and weaved through the crowd, determined to find out. He was able to flank the Imperials and follow behind them. When the officer showed another merchant his datapad, Axel was able to see the faces of Sabine and Ezra. "Thought so," he said triumphantly.

"Does anyone think this will work?" the first stormtrooper said to the other.

"This is how we always do it," the second stormtrooper replied.

"There's got to be a better way," the first grumbled.

Suddenly, the offer's comlink went off. "Norris Black here," Axel heard the officer say. He was unable to hear the other end of the conversation, though. "Make an announcement?" the officer asked in disbelief. "…That's not how it works here," he sputtered. "…Because the Empire does not sink to the level of bounty hunters…Lord Vader ordered it himself?" Norris' face blanched. "And he's here?...Right away, sir."

Officer Black stood up on a market stall's stand, much to the owner's annoyance. He pulled out a device that unfolded into a megaphone with the press of a button. "Citizens of Lothal! As you may know, the Empire is hunting terrorists Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren, who are somewhere here in the city. The Empire is graciously offering a one thousand credit reward for information on their whereabouts." The citizens oohed and ahhed at the prospect of a reward. "They were last seen with two human accomplices: one with an eye patch and ponytail and one with spiky red hair. Please bring any information to the nearest Imperial Station."

"That's not good," Axel said. He ducked out of the crowd to go find an alley. He needed to get back as soon as possible.

* * *

"So they're stepping up their search for us? Great," bemoaned Ezra upon hearing of Axel's trip to the market.

"A bounty? That's not the Imperial way," Sabine pointed out.

"That officer thought the same thing. But apparently the order came from a Lord Vader," added Axel.

"Vader? We ran into him once. He's a bad guy," said Ezra.

"The Empire's top enforcer," said Xigbar. He had remained silent during Axel's explanation of his trip until now. "He's not to be messed with," he continued, a steely expression on his face.

"However, it's not all bad news. I did get the meilooruns," Axel said, producing the bag of them from his coat. Turning to Sabine, he pulled out the art supplies. "And I got those for you. You had said that you wished you had some supplies while we were here."

"That's so sweet of you! But you certainly didn't have to," she replied, but it was clear that she was pleased and grateful.

Axel saw Xigbar raise an inquisitive eyebrow at him. "Oh, it was my pleasure. I used it as cover as I listened in," he lied. He was unsure if that fooled Xigbar or not.

"Good thinking," Ezra commented. "You know, you and Xigbar are pretty good at sneaking around and gathering intel. We can always use you guys like you in our little rebellion."

Xigbar chuckled. "Thanks, kid, but I'll have to pass. I've done the whole rebellion and fighting for survival deal once before and I'd rather not do it again. Although, hiding in abandoned houses was part of it back in the day, too."

"When were you in a rebellion?" Sabine asked.

"Same time I got this armor," he replied, pointing to his Mandalorian armor. "The final days of the Clone Wars on Mandalore."

"You were on Mandalore when the Clone Wars ended?" Sabine exclaimed. "You have to tell me about it." Obviously, she had only read about it or heard a few stories, as she hadn't been born yet.

Axel's interest was piqued as well. He had never heard a thing about Xigbar's pre-Organization past outside of the fact that he been in this galaxy sector before.

"Well, as I said, I was a bounty hunter back in the day. A damn good one. I was working for the Hutts when I got assigned to Mandalore as part of the Shadow Collective."

"You were part of the Shadow Collective?" an enthusiastic Sabine asked.

"What's the Shadow Collective?" Ezra asked, knowing nothing of Mandalorian history (understandably, considering his Lothal origins).

"It was an army put together by a former Sith named Maul and his brother to take over Mandalore. He brought a few groups to join with Pre Vizla's Death Watch, a violent Mandalorian dissent group," Sabine explained.

"Exactly," said Xigbar. "But as you know, the Hutts pulled out pretty early, so I was technically recalled. However, I decided to stay anyway because I had made a few good friends."

"Did you ever meet Pre Vizla?" she asked.

"I did, yes. Arrogant prick. Of course, then Maul killed him and took over. That sparked a civil war on Mandalore. My friends and I sided with Bo-Katan Kryze against Maul. Then the Republic sent in a whole lot of troops and Jedi, who aided the Duchess' loyalists and fought against both former Shadow Collective factions. So then it was a three-sided war, with all sides fighting each other in Sundari, the capital city at the time. Those next four months were crazy. You'd literally be fighting house to house. We were always constantly on the move. Bloody, brutal fighting. Maul was chased off, but his faction still fought on. Then, just like that, the Clone Wars ended. The Jedi were killed off and the Empire pushed to end the violence on Mandalore. So they sent even more clones to eliminate both factions. Personally, I think they were just trying to kill of the clones so they could phase in the Stormtroopers. The Empire did succeed in basically wiping out each faction in only one month, leaving very few of us rebels alive. They were ruthless. Unfortunately, I became separated from my friends. I was able to escape on a freighter and I've never come back to this galaxy since until now."

"Did you ever see any of your friends again?" Ezra asked.

Xigbar sighed, followed by a long pause. "No," he said regretfully.

The pieces started coming together for Axel as he realized why this mission was so personal for Xigbar. His life as he had known it was basically ended by the Empire. And Sabine was Mandalorian, so he wanted to ensure her safety, perhaps to atone for the guilt he felt over his lost friends.

"I'm sorry to hear that," a subdued Sabine responded.

"As am I." Xigbar nodded his head wistfully. He paused a few seconds and no one said anything. "So, you're a pretty good artist, huh? I'll expect my portrait to fully show my luxurious hair and incomparable beauty."

"Your beauty? I think you've passed that stage, old man," Ezra retorted with a chuckle.

"As if!"

* * *

Late that night, when everyone else was asleep, Xigbar awoke to an alarm that he had set. He opened up a Portal of Darkness and returned to the Lothal Base Construction Site. Upon his arrival, Sniper hurried over.

"About time your ass got back here! Your texts weren't very clear what was happening, so we began to worry," Sniper explained.

"There were some complications in the city. Our anonymous cover has been blown." Xigbar didn't seem to be terribly concerned by that, though.

"That's a shitty setback."

"Yeah, but it's not the worst of our problems. Hopefully, the communications are up and running? I need to call Lexaeus," Xigbar said.

"Yes. We've continued building on schedule while you've been gone," the lesser Nobody replied.

"Good. Any stormtroopers or intruders?" The Freeshooter asked.

"Nope. We've remained completely hidden so far. But we did put out more sentries after you told us to."

"Even better. It is very important we keep those asshole Imperials away."

"Communications Room is this way." Sniper led Xigbar to a room down the hall with a large computer mainframe. Several Dusks, Snipers, and Assassins were working on building the room. There was a lot of drilling and hammering going on the barely constructed room.

"Everyone out," Xigbar commanded. The Nobodies put down their tools and left the room. "You too, Sniper," he told his minion. Sniper saluted and then headed out.

Pressing a few buttons, Xigbar sent the call through to The World That Never Was. Thanks to the time difference between there and Lothal, he wasn't worried about someone not picking up. Xigbar was pleased to find that Xaldin answered.

"I'm happy that you called, my old friend," Xaldin greeted.

"It has been a while. Very busy here on Lothal," The Freeshooter responded.

"And how has it been?"

"An unneeded trip down Memory Lane. The Empire-"

The whistling of an Assassin who had wandered into the communications room interrupted Xigbar. He had evidently been out of the room when Xigbar expelled everyone (on a bathroom/snack/avoiding work break). The Nobody stopped whistling upon seeing the empty room and Xigbar looking at him testily. He backed out of the room slowly, without saying anything.

Xigbar turned back to the screen. "Sorry about that. The Empire is here and we helped two rebels escape. One is a Mandalorian teen girl."

As Xigbar's best friend, Xaldin was fully aware of Xigbar's bounty hunter days. "They're not supposed to be that present," Xaldin noted.

"I know. Hence, my call."

"I'll get Lexaeus. But, you cannot make this personal."

"Too late for that," replied an indifferent Xigbar.

"Just," Xaldin paused, "don't let it consume you or compromise the mission." He then left to get Lexaeus.

A minute later, Lexaeus walked into the frame. "Xigbar, how is the mission proceeding?"

Xigbar laughed. "Always right to business. We've got a problem."

"I figured that. Cover blown?" The Silent Hero was a man of few words.

"Yes, but only to two people. That's not the problem. The problem is that the goddamn Empire has a much greater presence here than we anticipated. We're talking full patrols and more ships and vehicles landing every day. Vader is in charge of the operation. I'm not sure our Nobody army can overtake the Imperials here without a lengthy war."

"That does pose a problem. Why do you think the expanded presence?"

"That's an easy one. The two people that know us are notorious rebels that the Empire is hunting," Xigbar explained.

"Wonderful."

"I think that we'll need to replan or abort the mission. I'm unsure how possible it will be to continue. I defer to your planning, of course."

Lexaeus nodded his head, deep in thought. "Hmm…thank you for informing me of this. Proceed with the current plan, and I will contact you with a new plan or alterations soon."

"You got it."

"And Xigbar? Try to stay out of trouble."

"C'mon, you know me," Xigbar answered with a smile.

"Which is why I warned you," the stone-faced Silent Hero replied before ending the communication.

* * *

Hey there everybody! I tried to make sure that Xigbar's past can still be well understood by those of you who aren't familiar with the Clone Wars TV series, so hopefully I succeeded. As always, thank you so much to all of you readers and those who follow/favorite this piece! Next time, we'll see how Larxene and Zexion are doing in the Deep Jungle.

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

Zexion had made a full recovery from his attack and was totally fine by the end of the day. As the next few days passed, he kept an eye out for any symptoms, but there were none. In camp, it was determined that Zexion had simply fainted, possibly due to dehydration. Zexion and Larxene publicly stuck to that diagnosis, although they both knew that something else was up.

Vexen's hypothesis had concerned Zexion. As Nobodies, they had been told by the Organization upon their arrival that they had lost their hearts; it was this feature that defined their status as a Nobody. But how could emotion trigger a response from a heart that wasn't there? Zexion almost wished he was with The Chilly Academic so he could aid his investigation. Almost was the key word, though; he wasn't going to give up his time with Larxene.

Larxene exited her tent to find Zexion waiting by the campfire with coffee for her, as usual.

"Good morning," he greeted her.

"I still have no idea how you get up so early," she replied groggily.

"We don't need as much sleep." While this was true for Nobodies, Zexion slept very little even by Nobody standards.

"We should do something fun today. I'm tired of being cooped up here," she complained as she took her cup from him.

"That's not a bad idea. A visit to the base is needed, so we could do that on the way." The pair had not ventured to the base in quite some time since they had been dealing with the aftermath of Zexion's attack.

Larxene nodded. "I'm fine with that."

"Perhaps Jane or Tarzan would know a good place," Zexion offered.

"Agreed. But I'd rather they not come. I'd prefer some time off from being Kairi."

This, of course, was music to Zexion's ears. He would take any chance he got to be alone with Larxene. "I'll talk to Jane."

"Thank you," she replied.

Zexion had noticed that Larxene was different here than she was on The World That Never Was. Larxene would never thank Zexion (or really any one) for any reason. He noticed that she seemed less tense on the Deep Jungle. Of course, he himself felt better in the fresh jungle air. Any Organization member would say that The World That Never Was had a gloomy and depressing atmosphere. The place did seem to suck the life out of everyone there, but no one ever questioned why the base was there. Castle Oblivion, the Organization's other property, was very similar. Whatever the reason, Zexion was glad that Larxene was happy.

An hour later, Jane came out of her tent and wandered over near Zexion. "Ah, good morning, Jane," he greeted.

"And to you as well, Riku."

"I have a question for you. Kairi and I were looking to do a little exploring today and wondered if you had any suggestions. Somewhere relaxing would be ideal."

"Hmmm…well, there's a wonderfully relaxing spot with waterfalls not terribly far from here," she replied.

"That would be most excellent."

"I can take you guys there," she offered.

"No, I mean, um, we wanted to be just the two of us." He instantly regretted his word choice.

"Oooh, I see," she answered, giving him a knowing smile.

"Not like that! I mean, uh…" Zexion's face flushed.

"I understand. Your secret is safe with me," she replied. Zexion was too embarrassed to say anything back. "If you pass through the Bamboo Thicket and into the Cliff area, you'll find an excellent selection of waterfalls and beautiful views."

"Perfect, thank you."

Zexion and Larxene decided that they would first visit the waterfall and visit the Nobody Base afterwards. Under the assumption that there would be a pool for swimming, the pair had dressed accordingly. Larxene wore a black bikini, while Zexion wore grey swim trunks and a white t-shirt. "How are you going to soak up any sun?" she asked him upon seeing his wardrobe choice.

"I'm not, because that's the idea. I wouldn't want to blind you," he joked.

"Too late," she shot back, grinning.

The pair headed through the Bamboo Thicket and into the Cliff area, where they saw a ladder placed against a cliff wall.

"There we are," said Zexion. They climbed the ladder and headed into a cave.

"You first," Larxene commanded.

"Afraid?" he asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

"No," she quickly countered. "I'm just letting you be chivalrous."

"Of course. I'll lead the way, milady," he answered with sass that he would have never dreamed of using with Larxene weeks before.

They went through the cave and exited to be awed by the view they now had. Hundreds of waterfalls surrounded them, with many tiny cliffs with rock paths leading to them.

"What's that?" Larxene pointed to a red box that was barely visible on a cliff.

"Let's go check it out." The two then climbed and maneuvered their way over to the item, which they found to be a treasure chest.

"What a strange thing to find." Zexion tried to open the chest, but it was locked (of course).

"Let me try." Larxene summoned one of her knives and tried to pick the lock, which was attached to the chest. "Nope. Weird."

"Must only open via the key. Or a Keyblade," Zexion added.

"The one time Roxas could be useful." That drew laughs from the both of them.

The two of them found a waterfall that had a nice pool and some room to lounge.

"Not much sun in this area, I'm afraid," said Zexion as he took off his watch and got into the pool.

"As long as the water is warm, that's fine by me," was Larxene's response as she entered. "I'm surprised you didn't bring a book with you."

"Indeed. I've been on the receiving ends of the terrible tragedy of a book getting wet before, so I've avowed myself to never let that happen again."

"Such a pity. After all, I brought one."

"You did?" Zexion asked, immediately perking up. He knew that Larxene visited the Library, so it was an obvious assumption that she was checking out books. But since he always made himself scarce when she came to the Library and because there wasn't an actual check-out system in the Library (Zexion had long pushed for one but Xemnas had deemed it unnecessary and a general waste of time), he had no idea what type of books she actually read. "Which one?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," she responded with a smirk.

"Yes. I have often wondered about your reading habits," he continued.

Larxene was hesitant to share that information. She did not like or want anyone to know that she was an avid reader, as she feared that this would aversely affect her tough image. However, she figured Zexion already knew, since he managed the Library like a watchful hawk. Besides, she had this feeling that could talk freely with Zexion about anything… "If you must know, I'm rereading _Gone With the Wind_."

Zexion's eyes boggled, stunned by her book of choice. He quickly regained composure, praying that Larxene hadn't noticed. "A historical fiction fan?" he managed to ask.

"Not exactly…"she trailed off.

Zexion's mind raced as he realized the only other alternative. "So…you enjoy romance works?"

She blushed, embarrassed by her guilty pleasure. "Well-written ones," she immediately defended herself. "Surely, you've read it," she challenged.

"Of course I have," Zexion responded quickly. However, that was a lie. He had started the book, but had only made it halfway through, before it bored him and he settled on watching the movie (that watching including wine and tears).

"So yes, I like romance novels. And if you tell anyone I will strike you down on the spot," she warned.

"I wouldn't dare," Zexion replied with a very nervous chuckle.

She stared off into the distance, reflecting Zexion was about to say something, but Larxene began first. "I like the happier ones, but there are many good sad ones." Zexion could sense that there was a reason for this, some personal connection, but he didn't want to press on a matter like this. "They show me what could have been," she continued on wistfully.

He had never seen her in such a vulnerable state as this. Changing his mind, Zexion tentatively asked, "Bad experiences with men?"

She chuckled with disgust. "You could say that. Many times. One worst of all."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I would gladly listen," he responded carefully. He wanted to know more, but didn't want to drive her away.

"I was very naïve in my childhood. Blindly followed boys, thinking they were honest and kind. How wrong I was. They only broke my heart time and time again. But it seemed like Gerrod was different. I met him at college. We dated for two years and I thought that we definitely had a future together. He was studying literature and I was a journalism major. I was so in love with him," she reminisced, but shook her head and bitterly chuckled. "Everything fell apart when the Heartless came. My home plant of Cabe was totally unprepared for the invasion. I had a chance to get out, though. My family decided the only way to survive was to flee the planet. They asked me to come with."

"But you didn't," Zexion replied.

"No, I didn't. Gerrod wasn't leaving, and I wasn't going to leave him. So I stayed. When the attack reached us, we fled together. We were on the run for a week and, although ironic, I'm aware, it was the best week ever. I thought we were inseparable, and that this experience would tie us together for good." She stopped, shaking her head once again.

"What happened?"

"I woke up one morning to find no one next to me in bed. Just a note, saying that he had left to get further ahead. He said it was an 'every man for himself' situation and that I was too much 'baggage.' He said he was sure I would understand."

"That bastard!" Zexion called out, his fury rising.

"That did me in. The straw that broke the camel's back, or in my case, heart. I was devastated and lost my will to live. So, I was pleased when the Heartless finally got me. Thus, the end of Arlene." Tears welled up in her eyes.

Everything made sense to Zexion now. Her hardened personality was born from her tragic past. Her story stirred many emotions in him: sadness at her tale, anger at Gerrod, and a desire to protect her at all costs from that sort of emotional destruction again. "I'm so sorry," he said.

"Don't be," she replied as she wiped away the tears. "It's not like you could have done anything. Besides I'm better without him anyways."

"Yes. He is the one who is missing out," Zexion answered with conviction.

"You think so?"

"Absolutely," he replied.

"Well, thanks for that."

While her story may have shed light on her personality, it still left Zexion mystified as to why she was with Axel. In Zexion's opinion, Axel was very likely to break her heart and was one who would take the same action Gerrod did, given the chance. But, he did not inquire.

"Strayed far from books, didn't we?" she said with a laugh. "Didn't know it was going to be a personal story session. Okay, your turn, bookworm. Give me some tragic backstory," she commanded.

"Umm…well…I guess I could tell the story about-"

"Hold on. What's that noise? Is that your watch?"

In fact, Zexion's watch was vibrating and had been intermittently for a couple minutes. "Good catch." He grabbed it and answered, "Hello?"

The face of Creeper filled the screen. "Master!"

"What is it, Creeper?"

"I've been calling you several times, but you weren't picking up."

"I was busy with more," he said looking at Larxene, "important matters." She flashed him a devilish grin. "What's up?"

"A gummi ship landed on the planet about twenty minutes ago. We ran it through the recognition software-"

"Hello? Riku? Kairi?" the voice of Jane called out.

"-and it looks like it's-"

"Gotta go, Creeper." Zexion immediately ended the call as Jane came into view.

"Sorry to disturb you two, but I have good news!" she called out.

"What happened?" Larxene asked.

Jane made her way over to their location. "Sora just arrived. I told him about you guys and he can't wait to see you!"

Zexion and Larxene looked at each other in sheer terror.

* * *

Hello there folks, I'm back again! Hope you found Larxene's background interesting and sorry for leaving you on a cliffhanger. When we return, we'll see how Vexen is faring on Neverland.

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

Click, clack, click, clack. Ding! Vexen was hunched over at a desk, busy at work on a typewriter. Although he was very proficient with computers, he did enjoy typing some manuscripts on the typewriter, perhaps for the aesthetic.

All of the noise had attracted Dusk's attention, so he ventured over near The Chilly Academic. "What are you working on?"

"Just a short report here (short for Vexen constituted 250 pages) on Naminé."

"Naminé?"

"Yes. As you know, she has very unique powers. Hardly anyone knows about them, but I have done extensive research on the matter. It's critical I write this."

"So everyone can read it?" Dusk asked.

"Not necessarily. Mainly in case something happens to me. That way, if I'm gone, someone can still learn; her secrets don't die with me," Vexen lectured.

However, Vexen had an ulterior motive for why he would want to finish his manuscript. Finishing the work would allow him to visit Castle Oblivion to deposit his work. Although The World That Never Was had an extensive Library, it was not for Organization specific or related books. Those documents were kept at a library in Castle Oblivion. The real reason Vexen needed to visit Castle Oblivion was so he could access his secret document. Vexen had a lab on Castle Oblivion (smaller than the one on The World That Never Was), but also kept a secret document cache in the lab. There was only one book kept there and no one, not even Zexion or Dusk, knew about it. It was really half of a book, as the front half's' pages had been ripped out and presumably scattered. The book had been Ansem the Wise's research notebook.

How did Vexen attain this? He wasn't quite sure. The first thing he remembered after becoming a Nobody was seeing this book on a desk near him, its front pages all ripped out. Although he had no remembrance of the lead up to becoming a Nobody, he felt a strong urge to take that book. He slid it into a bag of his and then noticed the others slowly starting to get up: Dilan, Aeleus, and Ienzo. After they stabilized, Braig and Xehanort walked in. Xehanort (or Xemnas, as he would soon be known) told everyone to collect their things at once, as they were moving to a new planet.

But Vexen never told Xemnas about the book. Perhaps his jealously towards Xehanort caused this, or maybe the sense of unease Vexen had when waking up. Regardless, the book had remained a secret. Xemnas had lamented to Vexen on more than one occasion how useful the missing book would have been. Apparently, "Ansem" had taken the first half of the book (although Xemnas assumed it was the whole book) and gave it to Maleficent, who in turn divided the pages amongst her associates. Of course, now Sora had collected all of those pages.

Actually, Vexen rarely used the book, unless he was truly stumped on a problem. There were many times that he had even forgotten that he had the book in his possession. Now, though, he needed it, as Zexion's apparent heart palpitations had bamboozled him completely.

The typewriter clicked and clacked some more as Vexen completed his title page. "Perfect. I'll be heading to Castle Oblivion this evening, Dusk, to deposit this. Try not to destroy the operation here in my absence."

* * *

"You asked to see me, Lord Xemnas?" Saïx had just stepped into the Superior's office. Saïx had been mediating in the Grey Room when the intercom announced that the Superior needed to see Saïx.

"Yes, sit. I'm sending you to Castle Oblivion today to search for the Chamber of Waking."

"Very well." Xemnas often sent key members to search for this room on a number of occasions.

"Have you noticed any changes recently?" Xemnas probed.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Saïx pulled aside his blue hair and revealed his ear, which appeared to be more pointed than round. "The change is starting to happen."

"Good. The faster the process moves the better. I fear for the others on missions."

"What do you mean?"

"This world's proximity to the darkness facilitates your…growth while stunting the reemergence of any…unnecessary emotions," Xemnas droned on. "By sending those members away, they have a better chance of a reawakening."

"A reawakening of what?" While Saïx was furnished with the particulars of most of Xemnas' schemes, he was unsure what the Superior was referring to.

"It does not concern you. Go and find the Chamber." He turned back to his computer, ending the conversation. Xemnas had no interest in revealing any more secrets in this conversation.

Taking the hint, Saïx took his leave and left for Castle Oblivion.

* * *

Vexen exited his Portal of Darkness to find himself in the first floor Entrance Hall of Castle Oblivion. He had never really been a fan of the Organization's second facility, as he found the whitewashed Castle a bit too sterile for his liking (although The World That Never Was was only slightly better). It was rather easy to get lost in Castle Oblivion, as all rooms looked basically the same. The Chilly Academic didn't even bother traversing these rooms any more, and solely used portals to get around the Castle. He created another one, putting him directly in his lab.

Moving to the center counter space, he felt his finger under the counter until it came upon a button, which he pressed. This triggered a panel to slide open, revealing a small safe. Vexen took the safe out and put it on the counter. He then began the security system. First up was a fingerprint scan, then a retinal scan. Finally, he summoned Frozen Pride, which was also scanned. Once all three were correctly produced, the safe opened, revealing the book inside.

He grabbed it, tucked it in his cloak, and then created a portal back to his previous location. He was surprised to see Saïx not far ahead of him. The Luna Diviner turned around and also appeared surprised.

"Vexen. What are you doing here? You're on a mission," Saïx inquired.

"Obviously. I came to drop off a report that I finished writing." He pulled out the manuscript as he walked over to Saïx.

"What is it?" Saïx asked, suspicious of Vexen.

" _The Truth About Naminé_. I have done extensive research that would be invaluable to the Organization if anything ever happened to her."

"And you found writing this to be more important than your task of constructing the Spawners?" Saïx asked in his chilled monotone.

"You're only Number Seven, how dare you!" Vexen scoffed. "The Spawners constructions are on time, just as the Superior planned." Vexen didn't take shit from Saïx. "And what are you doing here?" he huffed.

"The Superior sent me on business here."

"Really? What type of business?"

"Business that doesn't concern you," Saïx shot back. It was hard to tell who was icier in this moment.

"Hmpf. Very well."

"I'll take that manuscript to the Library. You can return to Neverland and resume your mission," Saïx finished, extending his hand.

Vexen was annoyed at Saïx's belittlement, but acquiesced due to his eagerness to leave. "Of course. Good luck with your 'mission'," Vexen finished with a good deal of sarcasm, handing him the pages.

"Likewise."

Vexen created a Portal of Darkness and returned to Neverland. "Worthless suck-up," he grumbled. "Never liked him anyway."

In order to ensure there were no eyewitnesses, he left the base area to go to a more secluded location, overlooking the bay where he often spoke with Marina. He hadn't, however, seen her in the last few days, ever since he scared her off with his comments about Captain Hook. He felt a little bad, but his pride stopped him from feeling truly sorry.

"She'll have to die anyway," he said to himself, attempting to ice his emotions. It was times like this that he was glad that he didn't actually have a heart.

He opened the book and leafed through it, looking for something of note. He found a report that peaked his interest.

 _Ansem Report 19: Emotions and the Heart_

 _These so-named Heartless are defined by their feature of lacking a heart. However, they seem to possess emotions: anger, rage, determination; the list goes on. I believe that the lack of heart allows those emotions to flourish. But what happens if a Heartless regains its heart? Tests have not been possible, because their heart is obviously gone. But is a heart gone forever? Is it possible that one can grow back? Perhaps enough compassion shown towards one of these wretched creatures will return its human qualities. I will entrust Xehanort to conduct this long-term experiment for me._

"I have no remembrance of that," Vexen mused. He wondered if Xehanort actually followed through with the experiment or not, but there was no way he was going to ask the Superior about the matter.

"If Ansem thought Heartless might be able to regain their heart, it stands to reason that he probably would assume a Nobody could do the same," Vexen said aloud. "But surely I would have discovered that in Nobodies by now." Vexen found that theory unlikely, as many generic Nobodies were treated compassionately and there was not one who had ever reclaimed their heart and became human again. However, it was obvious that Organization members were far different than the average Nobody. "So it's possible different rules may apply. This truly piques my curiosity."

The Chilly Academic was determined to find out what was wrong with Zexion. "I will not fail you again." Vexen had always felt a sort of responsibility for Zexion. After all, it was Even who had basically raised Ienzo. Although he would never tell anyone, Vexen felt that he had failed Zexion by failing to protect Ienzo from losing his heart. That was basically the end of Ienzo's childhood and adolescence. As soon as he became a Nobody, he grew up fast (especially emotionally), becoming the distant man he was today. Vexen was fairly well adjusted to Zexion being a coworker and friend, but it had taken a while. This was definitely why Vexen found himself so protective of Xion.

And Marina, for that matter. His thoughts dwelled back to the little mermaid. His paternalistic instincts once again had materialized around her, and he hoped that he hadn't frightened her off for good.

He heard a splash and turned his head to see the tail of a mermaid disappearing into the water. "Marina, is that you?" he called out. He waited a few seconds, but the water remained still. He sighed and just as he was about to go back to reading his notes, Marina's head popped up.

"Hi there Even," she greeted in a tentative, yet cheerful manner.

"Marina, I'm…pleased to see you," Vexen began, unsure of how he wanted to approach this. "I wasn't sure if I would see you again, because I was afraid that I had scared you off."

"Scared me off? Why?" she asked, cocking her head.

"Because I said I'm a friend of Captain Hook's."

"Are you?" she questioned suspiciously.

"Kind of. But I'm not like him." Vexen was treading carefully here, and he knew it.

"Oh I know," she responded matter-of-factly, her face brightening up.

"I want to apologize for scaring you off. That was certainly not my intent," he explained.

"Apology accepted." Vexen was surprised how quickly she accepted the apology. He hadn't anticipated such goodness from her. "I don't have many friends," she explained. "So I'm lucky to have a friend like you."

Vexen was unable to respond, as a sharp pang caused him to cry out. "Agggh…"

* * *

Hey there everybody, I'm back! I'm sorry that it has taken so long to continue work on this, but I have not abandoned it! As always, a big thank you to you readers and reviewers. We'll see how things are going on Olympus Coliseum next time.

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

Naminé found herself lying on her bed in her room on The World That Never Was, staring at the expansive white ceiling. Actually, she could have looked basically anywhere in her room to achieve the same effect, as nearly everything in her room was white. She had always preferred the pure color of white compared to black and she decorated her room (and herself) as such.

The fifteenth member of the Organization was deep in thought about what to do about her crush on Roxas. She had been so excited to kiss him on the cheek at the Coliseum, but had no idea if she made the right move or what she should do next. In addition, she was conflicted as to if her feelings were even real, as everyone knew Nobodies lacked hearts.

Dealing with feelings was obviously difficult for all Organization members, but particularly for the youngest members of the Organization. Unlike Members 1-12, Roxas, Xion, and Naminé lacked a past. In Xion's case, she was simply created, and Roxas and Naminé were special cases where their whole selves actually still existed, making them independent of a former life. Thus, none of the three had "grown up" from childhood; they simply came into existence in their teens, meaning they missed out on important, fundamental experiences to help shape their personality.

Naminé knew that she should talk to someone about her dilemma. "But who?" she asked aloud. The person she would have problem felt most comfortable talking to about Roxas was Zexion, but he was not here. Of the members left, there were not many great options. She wouldn't dare talk to the Superior, Xaldin could be rather gruff, and Saïx was out of the question. That left her with the options of either Demyx or Lexaeus.

"Can I trust Demyx?" She was on good terms with The Melodious Nocturne, but they weren't really friends. He was definitely a blabbermouth, so there would be considerable risk in divulging any secrets to him. However, he was much closer in age to her, which offered its own tangible benefits.

On the other hand, The Taciturn Stalwart would (as his name suggested) likely not tell anyone about her conversation. In addition, he was a friend of Zexion's, so it seemed reasonable that he would be amenable to speaking with her. However, she really didn't know Lexaeus at all, so she had no idea how he would react.

"Come on, Naminé, choose someone," she urged herself.

* * *

Lexaeus was a reserved man who kept to himself, but even he would have said that The World That Never Was had been far too quite and empty the last few weeks. Having all of these long term missions felt weird to everyone, as there was rarely a time where more than one member was gone, much less half of the members. While Lexaeus knew that the missions would be winding down soon and everything would (supposedly) go back to normal, Lexaeus still felt the oddity of an empty castle.

There was a knock at the door. Lexaeus rose to answer it, unsure as to who was knocking. He was even more surprised to see the tiny figure of Naminé standing there. Lexaeus figured that he had spoken no more than twenty words to Naminé ever.

"Hi there," she began shyly. "Are you busy?"

Lexaeus stifled a laugh. A courteous thing to ask, but superfluous. "No," he replied.

"Can I come in?"

Lexaeus said nothing, but stepped back inside of his room and held the door, indicating that she could come in.

Naminé (and most of the other members) had never stepped foot into Lexaeus' room before. It was exceptionally clean and well organized, which didn't really surprise her. What did surprise was the large bookcase on the back wall. She hadn't realized that Lexaeus was such an avid reader.

"I didn't know you liked to read so much."

He looked at her and folded his arms. "I trust that's not what you came to discuss."

She shook her head. "Yes, of course. I wanted to talk to you about Roxas." Lexaeus did not react nor betray any emotion. "I…I think…" The girl was losing courage fast, and the stone-faced (pun intended) Lexaeus wasn't helping. "IthinkIlikeRoxas," she quickly mumbled.

"Come again?"

"I..think I like Roxas," she repeated, her voice quieting with every word. "I just don't know, Lexaeus. I think that I might be secretly in love with Roxas. But I don't know if that's possible because we don't have hearts. I don't know. I don't know how he feels though. How do I know if he really likes me? Because he's nice to me? But he's nice to everybody. I mean, I want him to like me, but how can I be sure? Maybe I shouldn't do anything and see how it plays out. Wait! What if he does like me, though, and by doing nothing I'm actually showing him that I don't like him? I don't want that! Okay, so how about I try to subtly hint to him my feelings? That seems like a safe thing to do." She nodded to herself, completing her train of thought.

"Thanks, Lexaeus, I knew you could help!" She flashed him a smile and then ran out of the room.

Lexaeus just shook his head. "Teenagers."

* * *

When not found in his room or the Gray Room, Xaldin was found in the main kitchen in the Castle That Never Was. Cooking and baking had always been a relaxing hobby of Dilan's, and this had transferred to Xaldin as well. While Xaldin was not as tightly wound as Saïx, it was important to stay on his good side and not irritate him. Thus, it was a very rare occurrence that a member would visit Xaldin in the kitchen and risk inviting his ire for the interruption.

So Xaldin was quite surprised to hear a Portal of Darkness opening. He turned to see Xion step out, something that surprised him further.

"Hello," was all she offered.

Xaldin raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Yes?"

"I wanted to ask you a few questions." Like Naminé, Xion had found herself wondering about some existential questions. She, however, had decided to visit, as she wasn't really afraid of him and knew he would speak the truth (perhaps harshly, but the truth).

"Very well."

"And I don't want you to hold back," she continued.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear. It's not in my nature to hold back."

"I have been wondering if I have feelings for Roxas," she began.

Xaldin squinted his eyes. "As in, attachment?"

Xion shifted uncomfortably. "He often makes me feel better. And I like to be with him."

The Whirlwind Lancer scowled. "When was the last time any of us felt anything? We don't have hearts."

"But what about Larxene and Axel?" Xion pressed.

He shook his head. "I knew that that would lead to problems. That's the stuff of poetry, not practicality. What they are doing is foolish."

"May I ask why?" Xion wasn't exactly put off by his response, as she had partially anticipated, but was curious (a trait inherited from her creator) about Xaldin's reasoning.

"I'd only waste my time attempting to explain it to you. Anything else?"

She paused anxiously before going on. "Yes. I've been exposed to someone at the Coliseum. He's been offering me more power in darkness. I know that we're supposed to be neither light nor dark, but is that okay?" She had been bothered by Hades' offers, and knowing that Xaldin was one of the Organization's elders, she assumed he would be helpful.

"Our goal is to obtain Kingdom Hearts. You aid in that goal by defeating Heartless and capturing their hearts with your Keyblade. So if you become stronger, you can defeat more Heartless and thus obtain more hearts. Logically, it would make sense for you to take advantage of any power you could get to help us achieve our goal." His tone was obviously condescending, as he was not pleased with anything that had taken place in this conversation.

Sensing the very same, Xion backed off. Literally, taking a step back, she replied, "Of…of course. Thank you Xaldin."

He grunted in return and turned away from her.

She created a Portal and stepped in, fleeing back to her room as quickly as possible.

"Nothing but trouble, that one. She will need to be watched," Xaldin grumbled to himself.

* * *

Hades was in his skybox, prepping for the Quarterfinal Rounds of the Dionysus Cup that was to take place today. Seated in his throne, he was snapping his finger repeatedly, creating a new drink every time. After cycling through a variety of beverages, he decided to settle for his stand by, a worm martini. "If everything goes well, maybe a celebratory drink later," he told himself. He had just materialized himself a cigar case when Pain and Panic appeared.

"Boss, do you need that second throne today?" Pain asked.

"Unfortunately not today, boys. I asked Persephone if she wanted to go with me, but she's stuck hanging out with her mother."

"Sorry to hear that, your lordship," Panic replied.

"It is what it is. Some other time."

The two minions pulled out their "thrones" from the corner of the room and placed them next to Hades. Due to their short stature, the thrones ended up looking like highchairs (which seemed appropriate).

"Now, before we get too comfortable, I've got to go check on our little blackbird."

Xion had just arrived and had started stretching when Hades arrived.

"Hi kid, how ya doing?" the Lord of the Underworld asked.

"Just fine, Hades."

Hades was about to comment on the fact that she hadn't properly addressed him, but then realized that she rarely referred to him by name before, so it was still a positive step. "In a chipper mood today," he continued.

"I talked with my…bosses, and they support this dark magic experiment. Now, I still don't trust you, but I'm willing to give it a shot," she explained.

"Good, good! That's what I came by for. Instead of last second magic, how about I just give ya a little darkness now, and we'll see how it goes, yeah?"

"Alright. What do you got for me?"

Hades put his hand on her shoulder, and with her peripheral vision she could see a concentrated form of darkness emanating. She then could feel the darkness absorb into her body, feeling it course through her. "What's going to happen?"

"Oh nothing really. You've gained a new power that you should be able to unleash, yadda, yadda, yadda. Might be a few side effects, like confidence, clarity, better focus, nausea, you know, the usual," he rattled off.

"Interesting," was all she responded, as she was still focused on feeling the darkness inside of her.

"Good luck kiddo. You know I'm rooting for ya." With that, Hades swirled into smoke and disappeared, leaving Xion alone with her new power.

* * *

As usual, Roxas went first in combat. He was faced with a Darkside that formed from his own shadow. It was a cool gimmick, but stood no chance against Roxas. He made quick work of the large Heartless, giving him plenty of time to go into the stands with Naminé to watch Xion's match.

While waiting in the stands, Naminé decided to set her hand down on the bleachers, specifically right on top of Roxas' hand. She wanted to see how he would react.

Roxas turned to her. "What's up?"

"Hmm?" she replied innocently.

"Your hand's on mine." Roxas was hopelessly oblivious (and arguably incompetent) about the whole thing.

"Oh, sorry, it slipped," she quickly apologized. She then took it off. She would have to try again some other time.

Once the match started, Xion found herself underwhelmed with her opponent. She could and would not believe that her only foe in the Quarterfinal was a single Shadow Heartless.

Naminé felt the same way, whispering to Roxas, "That's it? Just one Shadow for her?"

But Roxas knew better. "I don't think that will be it."

"Just one Shadow? Isn't that a little too obvious?" Pain asked Hades in the booth.

"Wait and see, boys. Wait and see."

Shrugging, Xion jumped into action and annihilated the Shadow. However, then three more Shadows appeared. "That's what I figured," she told herself. She handled them quickly, only to find that nine Shadows took their place. She bounced from Shadow to Shadow, slicing each one rapidly. She felt that she was moving quicker than usual, and assumed this was due to the darkness. "I can do this all day," she crowed.

Then, three Shadows spawned, but something was off about them. They seemed to be a little chunkier, a little bigger than the normal Shadow. Not by much, but definitely noticeable.

That mattered little to Xion, though. Her immediate goal was to continue eliminating Heartless until she had won the round. Thus, she changed nothing and continued to ferociously attack the Shadows until they too were all gone.

Xion was not, however, prepared for what appeared next. Spawning in the area was the largest Shadow that she had ever seen. It looked no different than the others, just supersized. "Okay, big boy, let's dance," she answered confidently.

"That was unexpected," Panic said.

"Really? Who knew, you moron!" Pain fired back.

"Now boys, play nice. I can roast you both later," Hades commanded. He leaned forward in his throne, intently puffing on his cigar.

She started her battle off with a Strike Raid, hurling her Keyblade into her gigantic foe. Upon stunning the creature, she let loose with a frenzy of Keyblade strikes, hoping to quickly defeat the monster.

"Good work kid! Finish him off!" Phil yelled from the sideline.

To terminate her foe, she decided to use Quick Blitz. With a single, giant leap, he slashed into the Giant Shadow. The Shadow disintegrated, leaving Xion victorious.

The crowd went wild, cheering for Xion's triumph (except Naminé, she was cheering only lightly) as she waved to the crowd. However, Pain and Panic were most confused.

"Uh, boss, is that what you wanted to happen?" Panic asked.

"That's it?" asked Pain in similar disbelief.

"Patience. Good things come to those that…" In the area, the crowds stopped cheering and collectively gasped. Xion turned back to see that three Giant Shadows now stood facing her. "…wait." Hades finished.

"I got this." She had felt dark energy building within her over the course of her match, and she was ready to unleash its full potential.

"Kid, I suggest that you-" Phil began.

But Xion had raised her Keyblade straight in the air above her. Somehow, a gigantic meteor had appeared overhead of the three Shadows. The meteor then came crashing down, obliterating the three Giant Shadows in one fell swoop.

"That works too," Phil finished, awed by that display.

Roxas and Naminé were also surprised, especially Roxas, who had no idea that such an attack was possible. "How did she do that?" he asked aloud.

The stunned Coliseum was silent, but then burst into applause. Xion waved, acknowledging the crowd and sauntered out of the arena.

* * *

Xion felt so proud of herself as she walked back into the Vestibule. She was positively glowing with confidence, and quite pleased with her new Meteor attack.

"Kid, I didn't know you had that in you, but you were great!" Phil cooed. "You've really got a good shot to win it all!"

"That's the plan," she replied. She saw Roxas running up to her.

"Xion, that was awesome! You destroyed those Giant Heartless!"

Spurred on by a level of confidence that she had never had before, she boldly said. "Thanks, cutie," followed by a quick kiss on the cheek. Then she kept walking away, leaving a dumbfounded Roxas standing there blushing.

She opened up a portal to head back to the Castle, pleased with her efforts today on every front. Seeing Hades out of the corner of her eye, she turned her head to look towards him. He grinned at her and gave her a thumb up. She reciprocated and hopped into the Portal.

"She's going to like the way darkness suits her. I guarantee it," Hades finished with a dark chuckle. "Now, about that drink…"

* * *

Hey everybody, happy late Halloween! Although there's not a whole lot of spooky things going on in this chapter, we do have some fun vignettes. Next time, things will be spookier, as we'll be returning to Gracey Manor! As always, thank you to all readers, reviewers, and followers of this story, you guys are the best!

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

As Luxord, Jessica, Marluxia, and Gambler entered the room, they were surprised (or perhaps not, based on their previous ghostly encounter) to not see anyone in the room the Ghost Host had directed them to. The room was dimly lit, with a dusty crystal ball at the center of the room.

"This looks inviting," Gambler quipped.

"I try my best," a female voice called out. The crystal ball illuminated and rotated towards the group, revealing the face of a woman. "I am Madame Leota."

"You say that as if it is supposed to explain everything that is going on," Marluxia immediately replied.

Luxord elbowed him. "A bit more cordial, perhaps," he offered.

"It was I who had the letter sent to you. I knew you were searching for a rabbit, and one is being held captive here."

"And, if I may ask, how did you know we were looking for one?" Luxord questioned, raising his hand to his goatee in confusion.

"I see all," was her curt response. No one tried to push her any further on that statement.

"Have you seen Roger?" Jessica asked with urgency in her voice.

"I have not. However, I have heard that they are holding a rabbit here, and I assume it is your husband."

"Who's 'they'?" Jessica followed up.

"A group of Spatters that invaded our ghostly retreat a few weeks ago," Leota answered.

"Spatters? I thought they were all gone?" Jessica exclaimed, reacting with horror.

"What's a Spatter?" Marluxia asked.

"Many years ago, the Mad Doctor tried to take over Toontopia. He was aided by Spatters, little creatures supposedly made from a special ink. Our king defeated him, but the Mad Doctor set upon Toontopia the Phantom Ink Blot, a gigantic creature consisting of hundreds of Spatters. However, he too was destroyed, and no one has seen the Mad Doctor, or any Spatters since," Jessica explained.

"Yet there are Spatters here nonetheless. And they have a rabbit captive," Leota repeated.

Jessica pressed, "What would they want with him?"

"Again, I do not know. Which is why I thought it was prudent to call you here after all of my investigations failed," the enchantress explained, her tone never changing inflection.

"Very well. Do you know where the Spatters are holding their hostage?" Luxord inquired.

"They've taken up residence in the ballroom. Can we count on you to evict these Spatters from our home?"

"Of course. We'd best approach from two sides. Jessica and I will head in, and you two put yourself in a position to back us up," Luxord commanded.

"The ballroom is nearby. If you exit this room and turn left at the end of the hallway, you will be above the ballroom. I will guide your associates to a different entrance," The Ghost Host offered.

"Roger that, boss." Gambler said. He and Marluxia headed out of the room to follow the voice of the Ghost Host.

"I must warn you. These creatures have great strength," Madame Leota added.

Luxord smiled. "I think we'll be just fine. Thank you for your assistance, Madame Leota." The remaining duo then left the Séance Room.

As they head down a very long hallway, Jessica said, "I wanted to thank you for seeing this through. It means a lot."

"I said I was going to get the job done, and I am a man of my word," Luxord responded.

"Except when you're not," Jessica fired back. Luxord had no comeback for that, leaving an awkward silence. "So did you always work for this mysterious group, or did you have another job?"

"I originally was in another line of work. I ran a nightclub, with a casino," he explained.

"You're kidding me."

"No. Always felt quite at home there. My new job? Not so much." He chuckled his disapproval.

"At home at a nightclub?"

"You seem surprised, yet I expect you know precisely what I mean," he continued.

"It's a dark world," she dismissed.

"Yet, full of nice people. Just like you," he offered.

"Oh, please," she chuckled and then paused. "I wish everyone else thought that. They see me differently. Just a sultry singer at a low-life club."

"I see someone who was willing to risk everything to find her husband. Fighting off a bear and a wolf, investigating leads, breaking into a mansion, fighting off weasels."

"You…you mean that?" she asked, stopping.

Luxord shook his head affirmatively. His electric blue eyes met her green ones. "Jessica, you're not bad, you're just drawn that way. I'm proud to call you a friend and Roger is one lucky fellow to have such a devoted wife."

Jessica's pouty lips quivered before she burst into tears. "I'm sorry, that's just so nice." She reached out and hugged Luxord. "You're so nice to me. I miss him so much. We just have to get him back!" she sobbed.

"We…" Luxord cut himself off to due a flashing pain he felt where his heart would have been. "We will find him," he managed to get out after composing himself. Luxord was confused as to what just happened, but he decided to ignore it until they got Roger back.

She pulled away. "I know." She took a deep breath. "Sorry about that. It's been so difficult."

"Of course." He smiled at her. "Now let's go find Roger."

* * *

The Mad Doctor had been waiting years for his revenge and now it was about to pay off. The evil scientist had left Toontopia and disappeared, plotting his revenge. Now, he was back on Toontopia and ready to take control. It had taken several years for his research on the essence of Spatters to materialize into the actual creation of the ten or so Spatters that currently served him.

"It is time," he said aloud with a dark chuckle. A loud slap indicated that he had just put on his other rubber glove. "And this time, that rabbit won't get in my way. Bring in the pot!" he commanded.

Several Spatters (recognizable by their paint spatter look and round mouse ears) entered the Ballroom carrying a large pot, setting it down in front of the Mad Doctor.

"Ah yes, the Black Cauldron. Powerful enough to restore life itself. The perfect instrument for my maniacally genius plan." He stroked his busy beard for effect.

"Yes, boss," a Spatter responded.

"That was rhetorical," the doctor snapped back. "Now, bring in the rabbit. I want him to witness my moment of triumph."

A Spatter exited the ballroom, reentering a minute later with four other Spatters, who were carrying a rabbit, tied to a pole like a spit. He was a white rabbit with blue eyes, a pink nose, and a tuft of red hair wearing a bowtie with red overalls and yellow gloves.

The Mad Doctor's eyes boggled out in disbelief. "What is this?" he thundered.

"It is the rabbit you requested, master," the lead Spatter replied.

"No it's not! That's not Oswald the Lucky Rabbit!" the Mad Doctor yelled. "That's…that's…I don't actually know. Who are you?" The Mad Doctor removed the gag from the rabbit's mouth.

"This-s-s-s is all a mistake! P-p-p-p-please let me go! I'm Roger Rabbit, not Oswald!"

* * *

Luxord and Jessica entered the ballroom via a balcony above the actual room. There was much to take in. Two large portraits of duelists hung on the back wall, and a massive pipe organ was seen in the corner. However, their focus was on the Mad Doctor, the Spatters, and Roger.

"It's Roger!" Jessica hissed to Luxord. She started to make a move to jump down, but Luxord grabbed her gloved hand before she could do so.

"No, not yet. Marluxia and Gambler aren't in place yet."

"Fine. But I won't wait long." The pair decided to listen in on the conversation below.

Down on the floor, the Mad Doctor was apologetic. "I'm so terribly sorry, Mr. Rabbit. There has indeed been a misunderstanding. It was not my intention to kidnap you. My…" he looked towards the Spatters, "IDIOT associates were supposed to grab a different rabbit." He turned back to Roger. "But, since you're here, do you mind if I evilly monologue at you?"

"G-g-go ahead. It's happened to me before," Roger honestly replied.

"Much obliged." The Mad Doctor rubbed his hands gleefully. "I've waited many years for this. I was wrongly expelled from Toontopia and it's my time to rise! Over the past several years, I have painstakingly recreated the formula for creating a few Spatters. The process, however, is quite slow and not conducive to the creation of an army that can work for me. So, I set off on a quest to find the legendary Black Cauldron, which can multiply the creation of life! So, finally, now I have a way that I can mass produce my army, and take over this planet. Mwahahahahaha!" he cackled gleefully.

Luxord looked across towards the balcony on the opposite side of the room and saw that Marluxia and Gambler had still not arrived. "Still no backup."

"We can't wait any longer. He might start his attack," Jessica hissed. "We have to move now."

"Fine. But follow my lead." He headed down the stairs to the floor, Jessica in tow. "What a plan that is," Luxord mocked, clapping slowly.

"Who are you?" a confused Mad Doctor asked. "Do I know you?"

"I'm Jessica and this is my friend Luxord. You're holding my husband, Roger," she accused, pointing at the Mad Doctor.

"That is correct. I'm sorry about that, that was not my intent," the Mad Doctor explained.

Still feeling the bravado, Luxord commanded, "Let Roger go and we won't have any trouble."

The Mad Doctor squinted his eyes, tugged at his mustache, and scratched his beard, figuring out his response. "Okay. Sounds good."

"Wait, what?" Luxord responded, doing a doubled take.

"Like I said, it was a mistake. If you'll take him and leave quietly, that is fine by me," the Mad Doctor explained.

This move put Luxord and Jessica in a tough situation. If they accepted the Mad Doctor's proposition, they would be leaving him to enact an evil scheme that could endanger the entire Toontopia (and that could be just the beginning!). However, if they refused the offer because of his plan, they would look ungrateful and clearly there to start a fight instead. Clearly, the Mad Doctor had planned well.

Luxord turned to Jessica. "What should we do?"

"We can't let him destroy Toontopia," Jessica replied.

"Don't worry about me! S-s-save Toontopia!" Roger called out. The Mad Doctor didn't appreciate his interjection and put the gag back in his mouth.

"You're right. I suppose that we'll have to see this through." Luxord then turned to the Mad Doctor. "I'm afraid we'll have to do this the hard way. We're taking Roger and putting an end to your maniacal schemes."

The Mad Doctor cackled. "Not today! Spatters, eliminate these fools," he commanded. A few more Spatters entered the room, giving them a total of ten, and they began to advance towards Luxord and Jessica.

"We'll get you free in a second, honey bunny," Jessica called out. She then pulled out her giant hammer from seemingly nowhere (apparently a lot of storage space in her cleavage) and Luxord summoned a giant card. With a determined nod to each other, they began their clash with the Spatters.

Meanwhile, the Mad Doctor was reading an incantation near the Black Cauldron, prepping it for use.

Spatters were not the most intelligent of creatures, and Luxord and Jessica were able to make fairly quick work of them. As soon as Luxord finished off the last one, the duo turned to the Mad Doctor.

"It's over. The Doctor's out," Luxord quipped.

Jessica turned to Luxord and rolled her eyes. "Really?"

"Sorry."

"Laugh it up all you want. But you're too late! The Cauldron is ready and I already have the final piece of the puzzle. It's all over!" The Mad Doctor pulled out a vial (containing the a small chemical essence of a Spatter) and dropped it into the cauldron.

A great light flashed and smoke started to pour out of the cauldron. Then, a single Spatter crawled out, followed by another. "Yes, it's alive!" the Mad Doctor called out.

Marluxia and Gambler rushed in from the other balcony. Marluxia gracefully leaped down while Gambler jumped down less gracefully, landing with a thud. "Looks like we're just in time," Marluxia greeted.

"Maybe, maybe not," Luxord responded. Spatters kept coming out of the Cauldron and it didn't look like that was going to stop anytime soon. "We need to eliminate these creatures."

Thus, the four valiantly attempted to eliminate the Spatters while the Mad Doctor watched on with great interest. But no matter how many Spatters they eliminated, it seemed that even more and more were coming out of the cauldron at a faster pace.

"There's too many of them!" Gambler cried out. "We're doomed!"

Just then, a bolt of light energy connected with a Spatter, causing him to explode. "What was that?" the Mad Doctor asked in awe.

"Duck!" a new voice yelled.

The quartet did as instructed, also unsure what was going on. Suddenly, a Keyblade flew over their heads and cut through four Spatters in a line before boomeranging to the back of the room.

"It can't be!" the Mad Doctor explained. The Spatters all stopped and waited for instructions.

Stepping into view was a rabbit wearing blue pants, who caught his Keyblade as it returned to him. "Well, well, the Doc came back after all."

"It's the king!" Jessica exclaimed with a gasp.

"How did you know!" an infuriated Mad Doctor asked.

"Oh, Doc, I've been keeping tabs on rumors of Spatters in the area. I tracked them to here on a number of occasions and was waiting to see if you came back. And unfortunately, you did," Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, king of Toontopia replied.

"You are a lucky rabbit indeed," the Mad Doctor shot back.

"It's in the name, Doc. Now let's do this."

"Kill him!" the Doctor roared. The Spatters resumed their attack.

Oswald rushed in, positioning himself next to Jessica. "Alright Jessica, you and your friends focus on keeping the Spatter number low. Leave the Mad Doctor to me."

That we can do, your majesty," she replied after slamming a devastating mallet hit on a poor Spatter's head.

He moved up towards the front of the room and soon found himself fighting Spatters near Luxord. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Oswald," he said.

"Luxord. Glad to have your assistance," Luxord replied as he sliced a Spatter in half with his card.

Oswald next met Marluxia a bit farther up. "You must be King Oswald," Marluxia guessed. "I'm Marluxia," he introduced as he split a Spatter with his scythe.

"Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Charmed," he replied as he cut through a Spatter. "The Cauldron can only be stopped if someone jumps into it."

"A sacrifice?" the pink-haired member asked.

"Maybe. I'm going to go see if I can knock a Spatter into it." He then continued forward.

The Mad Doctor wasn't terribly worried, as he knew his Spatters would spawn continuously. Yet, this was not how he expected his triumphant return to begin. And Oswald was definitely not a welcome sight. He thought about fleeing, but that would leave him with no backup. "Should have gotten myself a sidekick," he grumbled to himself. No, if his plan had any chance of success, he needed to stick it out and win this battle. Looking around, he saw a suit of armor against a wall. Feeling the need to defend himself, he went over and took the sword, hoping that he wouldn't have to use it.

Oswald was close to the Cauldron when he met up with Gambler. "What…are you?" he asked, thoroughly confused.

"I'm Gambler," the creature replied cheerfully as he stretched his body to reach a Spatter.

"Um…okay. You made of rubber?" the rabbit king asked, slightly concerned at what he just saw Gambler do.

"Well, not really, but I'm kind of bounc-ooof!" Gambler didn't have time to finish as Oswald had used him as a springboard to jump over the Spatters and Cauldron. "You're welcome!" the miffed Gambler called out.

Oswald landed right in front of the Mad Doctor as he took the sword from the knight. "Ah, Oswald! You scared me."

"And now I'm going to put you away," the rabbit replied, pointing his Keyblade at the Mad Doctor.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" He swung his sword with all of his might, clashing the blade with Oswald's Keyblade (the Star Seeker), The Mad Doctor, however, was not proficient with a blade by any means. He clumsily swung the (somewhat) heavy blade at Oswald, who parried easily.

The Doctor was so focused on his sword that he didn't know that Oswald was driving him towards the Black Cauldron. "You will pay for what you did to me last time!" he roared at Oswald.

"So dramatic," Oswald complained. "But Doc, I think you're going to trip up again." Oswald took the offensive and swung his Keyblade at the Mad Doctor. He backed up to block Oswald, but by doing so, he backed into the Cauldron.

The Mad Doctor then lost his balance and fell into the Cauldron itself. "Nooo!" was all he managed to get out as the Cauldron deactivated. Smoke was sucked back into the Cauldron and the very flesh was stripped from the Mad Doctor's bones. Finally, the sensory display finished with a massive flashbang. The Cauldron was no longer producing Spatters and all that remained was the crispy bones of the Mad Doctor.

"Looks like he got roasted and toasted," Marluxia quipped.

"Let's finish off these Spatters," Oswald commanded. In a short time, the gang was able to permanently eradicate the Spatters.

Once that was over, Jessica ran over to Roger and removed the gag from his mouth. "Oh Roger, we'll get you out of there in just a sec!"

"You saved me!" he cheerfully exclaimed.

"I can cut him loose," Marluxia replied, showing off his scythe. Roger's eyes (literally) boggled out, which caused the Graceful Assassin to chuckle.

"Allow me," Luxord replied. With the use of a particularly sharp card of his, he sliced the ropes, freeing Roger Rabbit, who then collapsed onto the floor.

"Ah, there you are," the chilly voice of the Ghost Host called out.

"You won't have to worry about the Mad Doctor or his Spatters anymore," Oswald replied.

"We are indebted to you, King Oswald. Madame Leota would like to speak with you immediately."

"Very well. Lead the way." The Lucky Rabbit then left the ballroom.

Roger hoped up off the floor and ran over to Jessica, catching her in a big embrace. "I thought I'd never s-s-see you again!" he cried out.

"If we had hearts, this would be heartwarming," Marluxia whispered to Luxord.

The Gambler of Fate sighed. "Indeed it would be." He felt a slight pang, but dismissed it. Luxord then turned to Marluxia and continued. "Can we really let all of these folks die?"

Marluxia had no reply.

"I spent so long looking for you. I wasn't going to let you go," Jessica confirmed, with some tears visible on her face. "I had a run in with Br'er Fox and another with the Weasels trying to find you."

"You were quite brave!" Roger complimented.

"Yes, but I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of my dear friend, Detective Luxord."

"Just doing my job, ma'am," he replied with a smile.

"Come over here," she continued, waving him over.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Roger," Luxord greeted. "I've heard so much about you." He extended his hand, which Roger vigorously wrung with effusion.

"My hero," Jessica said and then kissed Luxord on the cheek.

"And mine!" Roger quickly added. He jumped up and kissed Luxord's other cheek at the same time.

It was the last thing that Luxord heard before he felt a searing pain and fell unconscious.

* * *

Howdy everybody! I'm back again with another chapter! For those of you unfamiliar with the Mad Doctor and Spatters, they are in the Epic Mickey video game series. Looks like another member of the Organization is having some heart problems! Next time, we'll head back to Lothal and see what Xigbar and Axel are up to. A special thank you goes out to all readers and reviewers of this work!

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

Another few days passed on Lothal without any major disturbances, likely due to the fact that the rebels had restricted their visits outside even more so. Progress continued on the Nobody Base and it was only a matter of time before it would be completed and the next phase of the Organization's grand plan would be put into action. Xigbar had already decided that he needed to get Sabine and Ezra off the planet before then, and preferably sooner rather than later. He walked into the main room, looking at his team before him. Axel and Sabine were discussing something art related, although Xigbar noted they were giving each other "the eyes," which could be potentially problematic. Xigbar knew all too well the dangers of love on a mission from his past. Ezra was working on fixing some part of Chopper who was clearly grumbling.

"Alright kiddos, let's get to work," The Freeshooter began.

"Work on what?" a confused Ezra asked.

"How to sneak through Imperial lines and get you two off of this planet."

"Leave? But Lothal is my home," Ezra explained. "We can't just abandon it."

"With the extensive Imperial presence, I'm afraid we don't have a choice in the matter. The best move is to get you guys back to your little cell." After some thinking, Xigbar was resolute on this point.

Chopper vocalized a "Womp womp womp," that, by the tone, seemed to agree with Xigbar.

"He's right, Ezra. Right now we don't stand a chance against the Empire," Sabine reminded.

"Okay, what's the plan? What are we going to need?" Axel asked.

"Some way to contact the _Ghost_. We need to let them know we're alive and that we'll need a pickup of sorts," Sabine answered. "Chopper, can you contact the _Ghost_?"

A satellite popped out of Chopper and he searched for a signal. "Womp womp."

"Looks like all signals are jammed to prevent that from happening," Ezra translated.

Xigbar nodded. "So we'll just have to go get an Imperial transmitter. They won't have blocked their own signals."

Axel shook his head. "That won't work. Wouldn't the Empire know that one of their transmitters was being used unauthorized?"

The group was quiet as they pondered this major wrinkle in the plan. The dull gray interior of the room as well as the cooping up of the rebels are dampened any enthusiasm and the last few days had been rather gloomy.

Finally Xigbar offered the (not ideal, but workable) solution. "Then we'll just have to be quick."

"So how exactly are we going to acquire this transmitter?" Axel asked, putting his hands behind his head.

Xigbar grinned at him. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

"Yep. I officially hate this. This is the worst plan ever," Axel complained as the stormtrooper put his hands in stun cuffs.

The stormtrooper shook his hand at him disapprovingly. "It's not my fault that your hair was too spiky to fit into a helmet." The trooper took off his helmet to reveal himself as Xigbar.

"Hey, my hair's an important part of my personality."

"Whatever. Now let's get to the nearest Imperial station."

Petty Officer Norris Black, whom Axel had encountered earlier, was currently running the Imperial station selected by the rebels. The young commander was the son of an (somewhat) important politician, which is how he got the assignment.

"And that, gentlemen, is how I managed to save the gala from certain doom by my quick thinking and extensive knowledge of medicinal herbs and spices," he said, finishing his story to the two stormtroopers stationed in his office.

"Very exciting sir," a stormtrooper responded although he was anything but excited.

"I wouldn't expect you two to understand. After all, I was bred for intelligence and you were bred to pull a trigger."

"Yes sir," the other stormtrooper responded, obviously used to this treatment.

An intercom buzzed and Black pressed a button to accept the message. "What is it?"

"Sir, a trooper has come in with the red-headed suspect," the voice reported.

"Splendid, splendid. Send them up to my office." He rubbed his gloved hands gleefully. "This could be my big break." He pressed a few more buttons to place another call. "Yes, this is Officer Black. Inform Lord Vader that I have one of the suspects in custody."

* * *

Axel and Xigbar were in the elevator up to Officer Black's office. "He'll send me to take you to a cell, and then we'll get to work. Not gonna have much time," Xigbar explained.

"We never do," scoffed Axel.

"Soon as we get these kids off the planet, we can get back to the mission."

"Good," Axel replied. But the pair actually felt differently. They had grown rather attached to their new friends and would have been sad to see them go, if they had emotions.

The elevator stopped and the pair exited. They were escorted into Officer Black's office by the same troops subjected to his stories.

Xigbar saluted to Black. "This rebel scum was found sneaking around the marketplace."

"Very good, trooper." Turning to Axel, Black continued, "We finally meet. It was only a matter of time that you could hide. The Empire always gets their man, and I do not settle for anything less. Now, indulge me with your name, prisoner."  
"The name's Axel. Got it memorized?"

"Axel hmm? A peculiar name for a peculiar man. Such unusual hair. You're certainly not from here. I have all sorts of questions for you, but I'm afraid that I must wait. Lord Vader commanded that he would be the first to interrogate you."

"How kind of him," Axel retorted with venom.

"Trooper, take the prisoner down to Cell A and then return to your patrol. I will mention you favorably in my report."

"Thank you, sir," Xigbar responded and marched Axel out of Black's office.

"That went well. Now, where are we going to find a transmitter?" Axel asked.

"I figure the Cell Commander might have a clue. You just knock me out and ask him."

"Really?"

"Don't actually knock me out, dumbass. Just hit me and I'll fake it."

The Cell Commander was awaiting their arrival. "Good work, trooper."

Axel then "broke" out of his stun cuffs (they were already unlocked) and grabbed Xigbar, slamming his head into the desk. He then grabbed Xigbar's gun and pointed it at the now terrified Cell Commander. "Hey there friendo, I need to know where I can get a transmitter."

"I'm not telling you!"

"Do you like living? Cause if you don't, I'll just kill you. Where are the transmitters?"

Making a wise choice, the Cell Commander acquiesced. "Level 3 in the Surplus Room 317."

"See, that wasn't so hard now, was it?" Axel mocked.

"You'll never make it!" the Commander cried out, slamming his hand on the button marked _Alarm_.

"Oh shit," Axel remarked before the Cell Commander slumped forward, shot by Xigbar, who had teleported behind him.

"I thought we weren't killing because that draws attention," Axel said.

"That went down the drain when you let this bozo hit the alarm. I also thought you weren't supposed to hit me hard."

Axel shrugged. "Oops."

"Asshole. Now let's go get that transmitter."

They returned to the elevator and proceeded to Level 3. "You think we'll run into any troops?"

Xigbar summoned his Arrowguns. "Definitely."

Axel then summoned his chakrams. "Can't wait for some action."

"I imagine you said the same thing about Larxene. Or Sabine for that matter," Xigbar replied with a snicker.

"Ouch. And here I thought I was the one to burn people."

The door opened and (fortunately) there was no stormtroopers. The pair snuck through the hallway looking for Room 317. Suddenly, a voice came on over the intercom. "We have an escaped prisoner in the base. Your orders are to locate the redheaded rebel and his accomplice. The station is now on lockdown."

"Looks like we're on the clock," Xigbar replied. Finding the room, they managed to find rows of the small appliance sized transmitter. "Let's grab it and go."

They got close to the door when a barrage of blaster bolts both sent them scurrying back in. "You are trapped. Surrender," a voice called out.

"So they think. It's time to leave," Axel decided. He extended his hand and created a Corridor of Darkness. The pair hopped in, leaving the station behind.

* * *

Petty Officer Norris Black was beside himself. "What do you mean they're gone? They were pinned in the Surplus Room!"

"I don't know, sir. They simply vanished," Black's subordinate replied.

"What the hell were they doing in the Surplus Room?"

"It appears they took one transmitter. That's all."

Black put his hand to his chin in thought as he paced. "Hmm…must be trying to call for backup."

A new voice rang out on the intercom. "Sir, I have Lord Vader for you."

Black gulped. "Patch him through."

"No sir, he's here."

"Oh." Black's confidence was fading fast. "Send him in," he replied weakly. "You may leave, Commander Harrison." The commander saluted and left. "Okay, okay, everything is going to be just fine." Black headed back to his desk and attempted to restore a calm façade for the Emperor's enforcer.

A minute later, Darth Vader strode into the office, flanked by two death troopers, his ominous breathing the only sound.

Black scrambled up out of his desk and went over to Vader to salute. "My Lord, I see you received my message."

There was a long pause and then Vader replied. "Yes. And yet I still did not arrive quickly enough to stop you from failing, Officer Black."

"Well, my Lord, I didn't exactly-"

"Then where is your prisoner? That breakout alarm was for a different escaped prisoner?"

"The prisoner did esc-" Black was unable to finish his sentence as his airway suddenly felt constricted. "Wait!" he was able to cough out. Vader released his grip on his Force choke and Black grasped for air. "They took a transmitter. If they use it, we'll be able to track their location and strike quickly. Then we can capture more of them. It was…all a part of my plan," he finished, his pitch getting higher.

Vader said nothing, processing the information. "This could still work in our favor. Inform me immediately when the transmitter is used. And prepare a strike team. I will handle this myself since you have proven yourself incapable."

"Y-yes, Lord Vader."

Vader turned and left the room with his escort, leaving a relieved Officer Black.

He slumped into his chair. "What a day."

* * *

Sabine and Ezra had been tasked with procuring a landspeeder for the great escape. As Xigbar and Axel returned, they saw a landspeeder parked in the adjacent ally.

"Looks like they got their job done," Axel noted.

They entered the house to find a relieved Ezra and Sabine.

"You're back!" Sabine greeted.

"You doubted us?"

Chopper rolled in and gave a "Womp womp."

"As if, you garbage can," Xigbar shot back.

"Wait, you can understand that robot?" Axel asked.

Ignoring him, Xigbar went on. "Not as smooth as an operation as I wanted, but we got the transmitter."

"Great, now we can contact Hera," Ezra chimed in.

"We're going to use our emergency channel. Hopefully they'll pick up." Sabine pressed a few buttons and turned a dial to get to the appropriate channel. "Hello, this is Spectre 5. Requesting immediate assistance." There was no response.

"Any second now," Axel said.

"This is Spectre 5. Requesting immediate assistance." Another long silence ensued.

Then suddenly a voice replied, "This is Spectre 2."

"Oh Hera, it's me Sabine!"

"Sabine! What's your situation? Where are you?" Hera asked, concerned.

"Ezra and I are pinned down in a house in Lothal. The Empire is crawling all over, including Vader. They're searching for us and we need an immediate pickup. All signals are jammed, so we had to steal an Imperial transmitter."

"They'll be able to track you."

"I know. We didn't have a choice. That's why we need help now. Can we meet you on top of the Lothal City Capitol Building?"

"Alright. We're leaving right now. It'll be a very small window."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Ezra quipped. "May the Force be with you." This elicited an eyebrow raise from Xigbar.

"See you soon," Hera finished, signing off.

"That's an old saying," Xigbar noted. "Anyways, time to move."

"I'll drive," Ezra volunteered.

The rebels left their home for the last several days, leaving the Imperial transmitter there. Axel hopped in the other front seat, putting Sabine, Xigbar, and Chopper in the back.

On the way, Sabine turned to Xigbar. "Since we might not have time to say goodbye, I just wanted to thank you for everything. You and Axel have done so much for us."

The Freeshooter smiled. "It was nothing, kid. Let me tell you, though, I haven't felt this alive in a long time."

"So can I convince you to come with us?"

Xigbar was shook by the memories of a very similar encounter with a Mandalorian many years ago. Staring into her eyes, he knew he would have stayed if he could, but he also knew he was committed to the Organization and Master Xehanort. "I…can't. As a friend of mine would say, my die has been cast."

"I figured that's what you'd say. I've made something for you and Axel." She handed him a keychain. The piece depicted an orange bird rising up in the air, wings spread and head turned to the right.

"Did you design this yourself?" Xigbar asked incredulously.

"It's a starbird," she replied. "My own little signature."

"It's beautiful," he complimented.

"Just a way to say thanks."

Ezra ruined the nice moment. "Uh guys. We got a problem up here. A big problem."

* * *

Hey everybody! Don't worry about having a long cliffhanger here, because the second part of this episode is almost done and will be up next Friday (4/20/18)!

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).

* * *

The road was blocked by an Imperial checkpoint. Stormtroopers were stopping and checking vehicles that were passing through. It was quite clear that the rebels would not be able to sneak through, putting them in a compromising situation.

"Looks like the Imperials moved quickly," Axel began.

"Okay, pull over Ezra. We'll need to split up and proceed on foot. I'll go with Ezra and Chopper. Axel, you go with Sabine. We'll meet at the Old Senate Building," Xigbar commanded.

It wasn't an auspicious start to this phase of the plan, but it was manageable. Ezra pulled off the road and everyone disembarked, Chopper grumbling as he got out. Xigbar, Ezra, and Chopper took off with The Freeshooter leading the way.

Sabine (now with her helmet on) and Axel stuck to the dark alleyways as they made their way closer. "You're a pro at this," she told him as they moved from alley to alley.

"Well, let's just say that my job requires a lot of sneaking around," he answered truthfully.

She motioned for him to stop. "Two troopers ahead. I'll take the one on the left."

"I guess that leaves the one on the right for me."

"Let's keep it quiet. Don't want to alert anybody."

The pair snuck up on the unsuspecting stormtroopers. Simultaneously, Sabine grabbed the left one and threw his head right as Axel did the same to the other in the opposite direction. Thus, the two stormtroopers crashed into each other, sending them sprawling to the ground unconscious.

"We make a pretty good team," Sabine offered. "It'll be a shame to see you go." This was her first real time alone with Axel, so she was freer to say what she wanted.

"Yeah?" Axel cocked his eyebrow inquisitively.

Sabine stopped and removed her helmet. "Yes. Here, I made something for you." She took out a charm. "Something to remember me by." She handed it to him.

He looked it over. "What's the design?"

"Something I've been working on. It's a starbird."

"Starbird?"

"A type of phoenix," she explained.

"I bet you didn't know that I love fire," he offered.

"I didn't. I hope it can catch on and be a symbol of the resistance."

"That's all you need. Just a spark. A spark can light a fire to burn down oppression."

She sighed. "I wish you'd come with us."

"I have to see something though," Axel replied. "And it's nearing the end. After that, who knows…"

Sabine pulled a surprised Axel into a quick kiss. She broke it and smirked. "Maybe you'll reconsider."

Axel felt a slight pang in his heart, one that he had felt a few times with Larxene. He had never thought anything of it then and was too stunned by Sabine to think about it now.

She put her helmet back on. "Let's go, slowpoke," she called out to Axel as she took off running.

"What a woman."

* * *

Xigbar, Ezra, and Chopper had arrived to the Capitol City Building first, encountering very little resistance on their way. They held their position until they saw Axel and Sabine across from them.

"So we just have to get to the top?" Ezra confirmed.

"Well, your pilot's gotta be able to get through the Imperial blockade," Xigbar reminded him.

"Hera's one of the best pilots in the galaxy. I have confidence in her."

"That's great, kid." Xigbar waved over Axel and Sabine and soon the five were reunited.

"What was this building?" Axel asked.

"It used to be the Lothal Senate in the Republic days," explained Ezra. "But it's been abandoned for quite some time."

"Let's hope that's the case," Xigbar replied grimly.

Chopper womped in agreement.

They approached the door and found it unlocked. "Just our luck," Sabine commented. The first floor was unoccupied, so the team ascended stairs to the next floor.

However, they were stunned to find the second floor littered with stormtroopers. The troopers and their commander were placing explosives throughout the floor, evidently prepping the abandoned building for demolition.

"What are you…" the commander began before he realized who they were. He immediately pressed his comlink. "The rebels are here at the old Senate Building," he yelled as he dove out of the way to avoid gunshots from Xigbar. "Repeat: rebels at the old Senate Building."

"Shit," Xigbar called out. "We gotta take these troopers out. But don't hit the explosives!"

The four ran towards the troopers hoping to catch them off guard (which they did), with Chopper staying back. Axel decided to summon his chakrams and tossed them ahead, striking two different troopers.

"I've been wondering. Where do you keep those?" Sabine called out as she fired her pistols at troopers.

"You know me, I'm always packing," Axel quipped.

But the biggest surprise was Ezra's activation of his hidden-to-date lightsaber to deflect blaster bolts. "A Jedi? That makes more sense," Xigbar thought aloud.

"A laser stick? That's a new one," Axel added.

The battle only lasted a minute or two as the surprised soldiers were unable to be an effective fighting force.

"Let's just hope that was all of them," Sabine said.

"I saw a Jedi in action once. Nice to have one on my side," Xigbar told Ezra.

"Still in training, but the situation called for it," responded Ezra.

"How many more levels?" Axel asked.

"Three more," Ezra affirmed.

"Womp womp," Chopper grumbled.

"I agree," Xigbar said.

"We'd better get going, we could have some company very soon," warned Sabine.

The team scurried up the three flights and soon made it to the top level, a landing pad for spaceships. Much to the dismay of the rebels, an Imperial shuttle was just landing.

"This should make things interesting," Ezra noted.

"Might be helpful actually," Xigbar pointed out. "If we can eliminate these troopers, you kids could maybe use this shuttle to get out of the system."

However, any thoughts of that plan vanished when the shuttle opened. Three figures strode off the shuttle, all entirely clad in black.

"Not good," was all Sabine could say.

Two death troopers and Darth Vader strode towards the three, slowly but surely.

The rebels decided to walk towards Vader as well, setting up a confrontation. Chopper stayed back and would work his way over to the Imperial Shuttle during the action.

Xigbar had never encountered Darth Vader before. He had heard some stories on his final days in Mandalore about an Imperial enforcer of great strength named Vader. Until the rebels mentioned him, Xigbar half-believed that Vader was a myth.

"Surrender," one of the death troopers commanded.

"Not likely," answered Sabine.

"Your path ends here," Vader spoke. He ignited his red lightsaber.

Ezra ignited his blue lightsaber, while Xigbar and Sabine readied their guns.

But before any battle could begin, Vader extended his hand, sending the four tumbling via a Force push.

Recovering, Xigbar got up and charged at a death trooper, while Sabine ran, the other death trooper giving chase.

Ezra, on the other hand, got up and charged at Vader. Vader parried two of Ezra's strikes easily. Ezra then executed a lunge attack, but Vader was ready for it. He reached out and grabbed Ezra's hand, which deactivated the lightsaber. A split second later he tossed Ezra several feet away, sending the poor boy tumbling.

Axel had gotten up and backed slightly away from Vader. Summoning his chakrams, he tossed them at the Sith Lord. Vader stopped them midair with the Force. "Well shit," was all Axel was able to get out as Vader forced the back at Axel. They connected, sending The Flurry of Dancing Flames tumbling.

The death trooper chased Sabine, firing his gun repeatedly. She summersaulted to avoid, and then triggered her jetpack to get her away faster. Firing her pistols at the trooper, he dodged and rolled out of the way. "Okay, much better than a regular trooper," she mumbled to herself.

Xigbar had taken the death trooper by surprise and tackled him to the ground. A few well placed bashes to the head and the trooper was out cold (or maybe dead). By the time he had finished with the death trooper, he turned just in time to see Axel go flying. He fired his Arrowguns at Vader, who deflected the shots away. Sensing how difficult it would be to take Vader using conventional means, Xigbar started to teleport, appearing in a location, firing two shots rapidly, and then teleporting to a new one to repeat the process.

If Vader was surprised by this unnatural display, he didn't show it. Vader, guided by the Force, was able to anticipate each of these locations and was able to block every single shot. Xigbar teleported to another location, but this time Vader was ready. He reached out and caught Xigbar in a Force choke. Xigbar was lifted off the ground, dropping his weapons in surprise. Vader pulled Xigbar towards him while ominously closing the distance himself. "You have been deceived into believing that your special abilities give you power. You don't know the power of the Dark Side of the Force."

Fortunately for Xigbar, Axel had recovered from his blows and was ready to kick it up a notch. "Alright, let's see how you like the flames!" Extending his hands, Axel summoned flames on his chakrams and threw them at the distracted Vader. Vader sensed it coming, so he had to drop his Force choke. Turning towards Axel, he had just enough time to slam his lightsaber down in a forceful manner into the chakrams. They stalled at the contact with the lightsaber, and then flew back to Axel, who caught them. "Yep, I'm out of options."

Sabine then flew past Axel, still being pursued by the death trooper. Axel then decided to throw the chakrams at the death trooper. This time, they connected on target, eliminating the death trooper from the fight. "Glad to know they still work on someone," Axel grumbled.

Sabine landed near Xigbar, to see if he was okay. "I'm fine," he said with a cough. "Go check on Ezra," Xigbar called out to Axel. Summoning his Arrowguns again, he started firing at Vader, with Sabine doing the same.

But Vader was relentless. He walked towards them, blocking their blaster bolts with his lightsaber. As he moved closer, his other hand used the Force to grab and throw all four guns out of the rebels' hands, flying past him and clattering to the ground.

"Not good," was all Sabine could muster.

Then Ezra came in, seemingly out of nowhere, to face Vader. He swung a few times, although Vader was able to block each one without much effort. Taking advantage of this, Axel tossed his chakrams at Vader. Having to stay more focused, Vader was only able to stick his hand out and use the Force to send them off course, missing him.

Meanwhile, Sabine and Xigbar scrambled past the lightsaber combatants to grab their weapons. While picking them up, Sabine spotted a ship coming in. "It's the _Ghost_ for our pickup!"

"Alright, we gotta get you and Ezra over to the ship. We'll hold off Vader," Xigbar replied.

"We can't leave you!"

"If you don't, you're not getting off this planet alive. Don't worry about us."

The _Ghost_ came in for a quick landing near the Imperial shuttle, stretching the landing plank out at the edge of the building. Chopper made his way onto the _Ghost_ with his rocket jets.

"Now go!" Xigbar said.

Sabine took off towards the _Ghost_. Xigbar turned and ran back towards Vader. "Axel, now's our moment!" he called out.

Vader unleashed several heavy strikes that Ezra was only barely able to parry. Finally, he knocked Ezra lightsaber out of his hands. Vader swung downward to finish off Ezra, but Axel arrived just in time, putting up his chakrams as a shield, blocking Vader's strike, although he was quickly struggling under the weight.

"Go Ezra!" Xigbar called out. Ezra got up and saw the _Ghost_ , understanding the meaning. He grabbed his lightsaber and took off running.

Xigbar started firing at Vader to save Axel. The Sith expertly blocked the bolts, but Axel was able to back up and recover. Vader once again Force pulled Xigbar's guns out of his hands, leaving The Freeshooter defenseless. So, Xigbar teleported, putting him near Axel.

"You cannot stop me," Vader commanded. Turning away from the two Organization members, Vader threw his lightsaber towards the retreating Ezra, whose back was turned.

"No!" Xigbar cried out. He grabbed the chakrams out of Axel's hands and teleported to the line of fire. Inexperienced with Axel's weapons, he was just able to block the lightsaber (and it returned to Vader) but went tumbling backward as a result.

Sabine had just arrived to the _Ghost_ and had seen Xigbar's act of heroism. Ezra arrived to the ship shortly after. "Go!" Sabine called to the interior of the ship and it took off, leaving Xigbar and Axel to face the mechanical monster themselves.

"Hope they make it," Sabine said, her tone somber.

"I think they'll make it," Ezra assured her. "They're great fighters."

Fighting, however, was the last thing on the Organization members' minds. With Sabine and Ezra gone, they were solely devoted to escaping. Axel took off running away from Vader, while Xigbar teleported back to Axel.

"I'll open the Portal," Axel called out.

Vader pursued, but he obviously moved slower than the other two. He had no idea what the two were planning, but he assumed they were trapped. The Sith was quite surprised to see a funky looking dark portal appear out of nowhere. Thus, he tossed his lightsaber again to stop the two rebels.

Xigbar had just stepped in and saw the lightsaber coming at them. "Close it!" he screamed, and Axel closed the Portal just as the lightsaber approached.

Vader saw the portal close and his lightsaber pass through where it just was. Vader simply stared at the sight. His lightsaber returned to him. And with that, the Sith Lord walked back to his shuttle, undoubtedly confused at what had just occurred.

* * *

Hey everybody! Here's the promised part two of the Lothal adventure. Thanks to all of you who read/review/favorite/follow! Reviews are always welcome and I love hearing your thoughts on things! Next time, we'll see how Sora's arrival on the Deep Jungle threatens Zexion and Larxene.

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic


End file.
